Adam, Not Eve
by swaggersaur
Summary: Adam's finally transitioning physically, and he's ready to return to high school after a long summer break to face his past demons head on, and possibly fall in love with an especially beautiful one. High school, bring it on. Badam/Fadam/Eclare/etc.
1. Prelude

**Adam, Not Eve**

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story._

_A.N. Sup. I'm imagining how things would be had he been on testosterone after sophomore year. A lot of this is just for fun so there's bound to be a few inaccuracies. As a warning, I'm a fan of both Fadam and Badam. Read and leave feedback if you wish!_

* * *

><p><strong>Prelude<strong>

* * *

><p>"Please mom? For me?"<p>

"Yeah, please mom? For Adam?"

The two brothers pouted at their sighing mother, who was currently preoccupied with washing the dishes.

"It's not that I have a problem with it. Well, not anymore. But where are we going to get the money?"

"No, no, that's not a problem! I looked over my insurance contract, and it said nothing about not covering fees involving transgenders."

"Said nothing about that at all," Drew echoed his brother, smiling.

"So the company will cover it is you're saying."

Adam could feel his mother's resolve slowly breaking and could almost taste victory in his mouth. He and his brother had been bugging their mother all month, and perhaps today would be the day she finally gave in.

"Yeah! I called them up and asked, and they totally said yes!"

"For the surgery and shots and everything?"

"Everything!"

"Yeah, everything!" Drew repeated, causing Mrs. Torres to roll her eyes.

"I- fine. Fine, you win, boys! Happy?"

Their mother raised her hands in defeat, droplets of water hitting the excited boys' faces. They cheered and excitedly jumped up and down, Drew picking up his little brother and spinning him around before pumping his fist in the air. Mrs. Torres smiled despite herself, happy that her two sons seemed so ecstatic about her approval. The physical transition was bound to happen, anyways, she figured. Getting it over with while their company still covered the costs of the surgeries and shots seemed the best route to take.

"Hell yeah! Finally! My brother's gonna get his body fixed!"

* * *

><p>Adam reclined on the sofa with a content grin on his face. This was perfect. In just a few days, his body would match his mind and he'd no longer feel so self conscious. It was a terrible feeling always having to look in the mirror and see a body that just didn't belong. Just didn't register as his. Sophmore year was drawing to a close, with only one month of school left, and his mother had agreed to allow him to take the surgery next week. He had to take therapy and go to a special psychologist for two months beforehand to get permission to do the surgery. Adam decided to get the top surgery first before starting his testosterone shots; the sooner those two tumors left his body, the more at ease his mind would be.<p>

He was to go to the hospital this afternoon to prepare for the extremely complicated surgery, so he would miss the final month of school, but he didn't necessarily mind. Ever since he had been outed, school wasn't exactly the most hospitable place in the world. In fact, most times, it felt like a downright prison. Actually, he saw the two upsides to the surgery; not only would he get the chest he felt belonged to him, but he would get to miss a full month of his personal hell high school as well. The only people he thought would care that he was gone was Eli and Clare. No worries. It didn't really bother him anymore. Well, honestly, it did sting, but he was much too nervous and elated over the coming surgery to be bothered to give half a damn anymore.

Where was his brother, anyhow? Probably playing football or hooking up with some chick down at some house party somewhere. It was a Friday afternoon anyhow. No matter how giddy his older brother was over the surgery, he wouldn't want to spend the last afternoon Adam had in the house before the surgery at home.

"Yo, bro, brought some pizza," Adam heard a cheerful voice call out.

In surprise, Adam sat up, and sure enough, there stood Drew with two large boxes of Dominos in one hand and a 2-liter bottle of Coke in the other. Adam burrowed his brows in confusion while his brother set the food down on the living room table before grabbing the television remote from his little brother's lap.

"Pizza, coke, and a football game on the T.V. Perfect bro time," sighed Drew contently, sitting down on the sofa next to Adam before ruffling his hair.

"Wait, why are you here? It's a Friday. You should go have fun," Adam said as Drew leaned forward to grab a slice of the pizza.

"And miss my brother's last day before his… his… butterfly transformation?" Drew smiled, "Not a chance."

"Butterfly transformation?" Adam laughed, reaching for a slice of his own.

"Well, I didn't know what to call it. Whatever, it sounds cool."

"So you think butterflies are cool."

"Damn straight! They'd be the fucking beasts of the jungle if they were a hundred times bigger."

"Anything would be a beast if it were a hundred times bigger."

"Well, whatever. What I'm trying to say is that I'm really happy you finally get to have your operation, and since today's the last time I'll see you here until you recover from the operation, I'll miss your dumb, little face around." Drew lowered his voice, sincere, taking a bite of the pizza."

"It's just a month," Adam replied, clearly touched by his brother's affectionate words, "But thanks. That means a lot to me that you chose to stay here instead of making out with some chick somewhere."

"Bros before hoes! Learn the bro code, man. And those hot babes will just have to wait until next week for this fine piece of man-meat."

The two brothers shared a laugh and the rest of the two pies of pizza, telling jokes and stories, and triumphantly yelling whenever their favorite team would make a touchdown. And right then, Adam knew that Drew saw him the way he saw himself, even without the surgery.

* * *

><p>"You awake?"<p>

His brother's soft voice echoed in his ears, and slowly, he tried opening his eyes. Everything was blurry, but after squinting a few times, the room came into focus, as did his brother's gigantic grin spread wide across his face.

"You're awake!"

Laughing, Adam tried to sit up, but found he could not. White bandages were wrapped across his chest, his flat chest. White tubes were sticking out the side of the bandages and connecting to bags of clear liquid hanging next to the hospital bed. He could feel a sharp pain on his chest, almost unbearable when he tried to sit up, but other than that, he felt great. Lifting his hands to his upper body, he allowed himself to touch the bandages where he once had breasts. A sharp intake of breath.

The pain was fleeting, he decided, but this feeling was incredible and definitely permanent. This feeling of liberation and euphoria overtook Adam, and tears started to fall from his eyes. His brother simply smiled and leaned down to give his little sibling a much needed embrace, allowing the younger boy to finally let go of all his tears.

For years, Adam would never look down during his nightly showers, ignoring his breasts the best he could. For years, he would stand in the mirror, staring at his chest, wondering if they were noticeable and why they had to exist. For years, he prayed to God to just make them disappear and for years, he pressed them down with his hands and pulled them back with whatever he could to make them as non-existent as possible. For years, he never felt like Adam but always, in the back of his mind, saw Gracie and now… this new feeling washed over him like rain.

The removal of his breasts was not just a physical thing. It was mental, spiritual, and emotional as well. Those breasts represented the bandages that kept him mentally restrained, the hate that he felt for himself, and the anger he'd hold for his body. Removing them didn't remove all his burdens, but it sure as hell did take away a lot of them. For the first time in his life, he could look down at his body and not feel shame. He fought against his body dysphoria his whole life, and a sudden lack of those cruel voices in the back of his head making fun of him for having breasts made him feel… he wasn't sure. But he loved it.

"Fuck, Drew!" Adam cried out on his brother's already damp shoulder.

"I know, bro, I know. Let it all out." Drew whispered.

He understood the best he could. He'd never know how it felt being Adam, but Drew tried. He imagined having a vagina and breasts, and could only wince. It would be fun for a day or two, but living with them for years? And on top of that, get teased for wanting to have his dick back? He would have hated himself and everything around him. Drew was pleasantly surprised how caring his younger brother could be even after being treated like shit by the people around them.

He allowed himself to act softer towards his little brother for the surgery, since he knew no one else bothered to understand Adam, and his brother definitely needed someone right now. Once his brother finished transitioning, of course, he'd revert back to his tough love. Adam wanted to be treated like the brother he was, and Drew wasn't about to complain. It made him almost excited to have someone to roughhouse around with.

"Okay, okay, I'm done. I'm done." Adam repeated, shaking the last bit of tears out of his eyes, "Sorry, I was just really happy."

"Nothing wrong with that, man. I get you. Breasts are more fun on girls than on boys. Now get healed up before summer starts, alright? Since you're going to be on testosterone, I'm going to take you to the gym like every day."

"Oh, can't wait," Adam said unenthusiastically.

"Aw, come on, man. It'll be fun. There's no girls at the gym I frequent so it'll be cool to have a work-out buddy." Drew continued, "And plus, girls love a nice, toned body."

"Well… If you put it that way. Just kidding. I don't want any girl from our hellhole of a school."

"I don't know. Devils are more fun in bed."

Both brothers shared another laugh just as they did the day Adam left for surgery, except over a hospital bed rather than pizza. This time, with Adam feeling every much the brother Drew saw him as. And it felt great.

* * *

><p>"Damn, Torres! Looking good!"<p>

Adam smiled at Clare as she and Eli gave him a great, big hug. It had been their first meeting in weeks. Adam had left the hospital the beginning of summer and the three friends couldn't meet up, due to Clare having to go to New York over break and Eli having a job two towns away. School was going to start in two days, and the three friends decided to meet up before returning back to catch up, now that Clare was back, Adam recovered from surgery, and Eli received his last payment for the summer job.

"Why, thank you," Adam smirked at his two best friends' reaction to his voice.

Those shots of testosterone were really starting to show their stuff. The week after his first shot, Adam could not see a difference and felt very disappointed. However, quickly after the week ended and more shots were taken, the affects were certainly starting to show.

His daily workouts were paying off thanks to his brother, or as Drew liked to be called, his trainer's insistence to visit the gym as much as possible. His testosterone-fueled body allowed him to reach a sort of faux-puberty. He grew a few inches and was continuing to grow, his face became more sharp, more masculine, and more pronounced rather than his baby-faced, feminine past. He was still skinny, his stomach toned but not overly muscular, and the same applied to his arms and legs. It was fine to him though. He preferred to have a cut body instead of a bulky one.

Adam's shoulders were broader than before, and his stance more upright. His hair, he cut to a nice faux hawk with bangs. The testosterone worked magic to his voice as well. He no longer had to force a masculine voice. It lowered on its own, and although it was not booming, his voice had a rough, raspy quality to it that he quite liked. The best part of the whole transition was that he found himself looking in the mirror and feeling happy in what he saw rather than ashamed and angry.

"You're hot!" Eli jokingly exclaimed, hugging his best friend once more, "Date me! Sorry, Clare, I've found someone else."

"Oh, stop it, you." Clare laughed, smacking Eli on his arm.

"Just kidding. I love you best." Eli quickly kissed Clare on the cheek before facing Adam again, "But seriously, you look like the Adam you were meant to be. The Adam I always saw! It's awesome. Amazing. I'm really happy for you, man!"

"Thanks." Adam was choked up with emotions before he grabbed Eli into another embrace and Clare sighed from next to them.

"You two might as well just date."

"Don't say things like that, Clare. They just might come true."

Eli and Adam broke out laughing at Clare's shocked expression before she joined in with their laughter.

School was starting in two days, but much to Adam's shock, he wasn't dreading those hallways and classrooms anymore.

* * *

><p>As soon as the sun rose, Adam was up with it.<p>

Pulling on a white v-neck and slightly baggy black jeans over his polka-dotted boxers, Adam stretched out and walked over to the bathroom. Just like every morning, he smiled at his reflection in the mirror and let out a small giggle before grabbing his toothbrush and applying a nice amount of Colgate on the brush. He had showered just a little after 1 A.M., since his older brother forced him to join him on a midnight jog. After waxing his hair in place, bangs still messy but in place, he left the bathroom as his brother entered it, slamming the door behind him.

Adam grabbed a gray cardigan from his closet and pulled it on before spraying a small amount of cologne on. Too much cologne made his head hurt; he didn't understand how his brother could apply practically the whole bottle of cologne in one go.

"You ready, bro?" Adam called out while grabbing his cell phone and backpack from his desk.

"Yeah, almost, little man. Wait out in the car or something, I'll be right out," his brother loudly replied over the sound of water running.

Now that his brother was a senior, their parents bought Drew a brand new ride. It was a fine piece of art, the car was. The two brothers spent an entire summer day giving the automobile a brand new paint job, and it was perfect- white with black accents and a white chrome finish on the sides, bumpers, and rims.

Only a block away from school, Drew faced Adam with a grim half-smile.

"Brother, if anyone bothers you, you know what to do, right?"

"What, I have to call for my big brother?" Adam mumbled, offended.

"No, bro. You have to beat their face in."

Grinning like idiots, the two brothers high-fived and finally arrived at school, ready for a brand new year at Degrassi High School.

It being spent at Degrassi, the year was bound to be interesting.


	2. Chapter I: Differences

**Disclaimer:** Only thing that's mine is the storyline.

**A.N.** Storyline's a little different from the show. Here, Adam has met Fiona but he never fought with his brother for her, so the romantic incline and decline between them never happened. He was very anti-social Sophmore year after the whole outed arc, at least in my story. Yes, my story follows the original show storyline, but not to the dot. Hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm currently working on another Badam and a separate Fadam as well. Look forward to them! I'm quite liking my new Badam. It's really flowing and translating well onto paper (or in my case, Microsoft Word); I needed to pause on that one to finish up this chapter though. **Read and Review!**

…

**Chapter I**: Differences 

He felt like the new kid all over again.

Truthfully, he was expecting this; of course eyes would be on him as he walked the halls. After all, he was the school's freak show since last year, anyhow. Still, he held himself up straight and didn't bother to feel affected. He was happy in his body and nothing anyone did or said could take that feeling away. There was a difference though, he noted. Most of the stares he dared to face held no disdain, just curiosity, and he didn't hear any snide remarks behind his back, only a little murmuring as some students exclaimed, "That's Adam Torres?"

"Yo, Torres."

Looking back, Adam raised an eyebrow as Dave stood before him, hat turned backwards.

"Oh, hey," Adam responded, giving a small smile.

Dave was one of his brother's closest friends, but he never interacted with the other boy that much, except for the occasional hello and goodbye.

"Damn, you look different." Dave laughed, slinging an arm around Adam, "Look, I'm hosting a back-to-school party at my cousin's place this afternoon. Drew said I should invite you, and I thought why not. A brother to a brother is a brother to me."

"Yeah? I guess I might go, depending on how school is today," Adam sighed, "If things don't go down the shitter."

"I know I didn't talk to you much last year, but let me tell you this. After you left school a month before summer break, I think a lot of these kids, including myself, owned up to spreading the rumors and the hate. Without seeing you every day, some people started to realize you weren't the attention whore freak who started fights all the time. At least, that's what I think. And your new appearance would probably help people accept that you're a guy. Not that you weren't a guy last year. I'm not saying that how you look outside makes you like, a boy, but I'm not trying to be offensive if that came out wr-"

"I get you, man." Adam smiled, "Thanks for the talk, anyways. I'd been feeling a little bummed down. Weird, disgusted looks, you know? Not seeing them for a while made me forget how much they sting sometimes."

"Hey, I respect you, alright? You went through a lot of shit and you came out smiling. So I better see you at the party," Adam patted the younger Torres on the shoulder, "And also, you should learn to distinguish looks. Just because people are staring doesn't always mean they're disgusted, man."

"Thanks," Adam said as Dave walked off to his other friends, probably inviting them to the party as well.

It felt nice being complemented, although the fact that Dave was his brother's closest friends explained why he was being so nice to him. Drew probably talked to him or something, he sighed. Although his body was different, the way he wanted it, he still felt some invisible wall between himself and the other students. No matter what he did, he felt as if he'd always be the talk of the week, the freak on display.

"Why are you so down? You're back at school, you're sexy, and you should know it."

Adam glanced over his shoulder to see Eli waiting by the younger boy's locker.

"Yeah, I know. I just feel like I'm still the same freak to everyone, though."

Eli smirked at the insecure boy, thinking how Adam was still the same Adam despite his more masculine appearance.

"Trust me, most of the students don't think that about you anymore. Time can do that to people. Also, you being incredibly sexy can do that to people too." Eli winked, patting his best friend on the back.

"Stop flirting. It's so unlike you." Both boys laughed as Clare approached them, resting her head on her boyfriend's shoulder.

"I'm sorry I'm so irresistible." Adam apologized while raising his arms in a melodramatic display of false guilt.

"You're forgiven. Now both of you, to class. Bell rang like five minutes ago. Shoo," Clare brushed them off with a grin.

…

Scratching the side of his head, Adam slowly walked into his first period Advanced Literature class. A class with seniors, he sighed. A lot of his classmates would be seniors this year, and unfortunately, he had very bad experiences with most of them. Oh well, he shrugged, can't have it all.

"Adam Torres. Pleasure that you finally decided to join us."

His teacher's sarcasm did not go unnoticed as Adam scanned the room, looking for any familiar faces. In the back of the room, he saw the very face he was dreading to see. She was leaning with her head in her hand, as if she was about to fall asleep, her brown curls perfectly in place. At the sound of Adam's name, she raised her eyes, smirking before catching his eyes. Bianca's eyes went wide when she saw the young man, and her eyebrows creased before she angrily faced away. Like expected, Adam chuckled. He wouldn't let the girl faze him.

"Adam, please take a seat."

The only seat available was next to Bianca. He internally groaned as he sat next to the girl in the back of the room. Not only was he incredibly far from the teacher, but he had to sit next to one of his prime antagonizers from last year.

"Look, Bianca." Adam whispered as he took a seat next to the grumbling girl, "You don't like me and I don't like you. How about we make this easier on each other and promise to, for all intents and purposes, actually get along this year? I'm willing to let go of all that shit last year if you're willing to not be a total bitch." Adam tried for a compromise or a pact of some sort. He didn't want to get into any fights, physical or verbal.

The girl barely glanced at him before giving him an angry, tight grimace before giving a curt nod and resting her head on the desk, facing opposite Adam. She didn't want to be bothered with fighting this year either.

"I take that you mean yes," said Adam, leaning back in his seat, "Nighty night,then"

And despite herself, the older girl smiled. But just a little.

…

"Well, there's nothing more to do today, so feel free to talk amongst yourselves quietly for the rest of this period."

The teacher sat back down in front of his desk, and as soon as he did, the class erupted with chatter. Talk about the break, of beaches and summer jobs, and of useless gossip filled the classroom. Adam shook his head with a smile. The room was so loud, he was sure the classes down the hall would surely complain soon.

"Shit, everyone needs to shut the fuck up." Bianca grumbled to herself, slamming her head down on the desk, "Giving me a freaking headache."

"Hangover?" Adam laughed, "You shouldn't drink the day before school."

"Ha ha, really funny, you freak. Just because we're going to act civilized towards each other this year doesn't mean I'm your friend." Bianca spat, "Why are you laughing, Torres? Stop laughing."

"Well," Adam continued his laughter, "Someone woke up with a stick up their ass."

"Real mature, you loser," Bianca rolled her eyes at the younger boy, head never leaving the desk, "I'm so not in the mood for this."

Adam looked at her with an eyebrow raised, smirking at how much changed over the summer. It seemed like the girl's usually sadistic side was subdued, and she seemed too tired to want to insult Adam with that same passion she had just a few months back. It was surprising, really. He had expected her to be one of the hardest obstacles he'd have to face on his return to Degrassi, but it seemed as if he was wrong. Granted, she admitted it herself that she didn't like him, but at least she wasn't planning on doing anything cruel to the junior. It was a little unusual though; in fact, this quiet, passive Bianca made him feel much more uncomfortable than a mean, aggressive Bianca. He wondered if anything was troubling the older girl.

Adam's thoughts seized when he felt a soft hand rest on his shoulder.

"Hey there."

Curious, Adam looked back to see a beautiful brunette with the bluest eyes looking at him with a small smile. Gorgeous. He recognized her as that girl his brother had a thing for last year, that time he had given her some sort of advice about dating Drew. Apparently, that didn't work out. Adam always did think she was extremely pretty, but he realized he was staring amidst his jumbled thoughts and immediately averted his eyes and scratched the back of his head, fumbling for words.

"Ah, yeah, hi," Adam rushed, trying to regain composure.

"My name's Fiona. We've met before?" Fiona sounded a bit hopeful, "Outside, after that community service gig? You got me to consider your brother? For, like, a few minutes."

"Yeah, I remember you, sure." Adam replied, finally calming down, his heart dropping back to a steady rate, "I thought you were a senior last year?"

"Well, I sort of have to repeat senior year. Credits and all, you know." Fiona's lips were pursed together as she said this, "Literally five credits away from passing, too."

"That blows. Sorry to hear that."

"No, I'm fine. No big deal. I got over that in the summer. Anyways, I was going to ask if you or your brother had a ride to Dave's cousin's place for that party. I would drive myself but my car's getting fixed right now. I drove it into a mailbox by accident. Dave told me to ask one of the Torres brothers for a ride, if that's alright with you?"

"That's fine. I'm sure my brother wouldn't complain or anything. Just try not to flirt too much." Adam joked, leaning back in his seat.

"Oh, please. You were the one who got me to flirt with him for ten minutes, tops." Fiona joked, slapping Adam's arm, "And also, he's definitely not my type. I've got to be careful, you know."

"Says the girl who drove into a mailbox," Adam teased, "I'm not even sure how that car fit in there. Real talent you've got there."

"Cute. Well, I'll have to get back to my seat. Here's my number," Fiona picked up a pen from Adam's desk and began writing on the palm of his hand, "Just call me where and what time you'll pick me up."

Giving one more smile to the younger boy, Fiona placed his pen back on his desk and walked back to her desk, Adam's eyes trained on her the whole time.

"She's going to the party? And you're going to the party too? Dave seriously invites anyone these days, huh." Bianca mumbled from the desk, her head still down, "I don't even want to go anymore."

"Oh Bianca, sheath them claws, will you?" Adam rested his head on his desk, facing Bianca, "Admit it, you don't even hate me."

"I hate you," Bianca growled, her head now facing his, hers still down as well, "I hate you so much, Adam. You are a stupid, stupid boy."

"Hey, you called me Adam! And a boy!" Adam cheered, "You're seriously nicer when you've got a hangover."

"Shut up."

…

Satisfaction was the word of the day.

Last year was a distant memory to the younger Torres; his fellow peers treated him with much more respect and nobody tried to physically harm him. To him, that was a huge step. More people were starting to communicate with him, which was something he was very glad about. He had a very attractive personality, people would tell him, but most did not give him a chance to show it. Until today, that is.

Smiling, he rushed home to get ready for the party. Adam settled on a black hoodie over a grey tank and basketball shorts. He grabbed a new black beanie his brother bought him and placed it on the very back of his head, his hair still forming a nice triangle on the top and his bangs as messy as ever. Another spray of cologne and he was out in the passenger's seat of the car, waiting for his sluggish brother to hurry his ass. He didn't want to be late for his first party ever.

"Look, bro. Being early for a party is never cool. Fashionably late." Drew explained, shifting the gear to drive, " Fiona would understand."

"Can we just pick her up already?" Adam complained.

"Someone's crushing." Joked Drew, patting his younger brother on the head, "Just a note; she turned down everyone who asked her out since her previous senior year. Don't get too hopeful with that chick!"

"Oh, you haven't seen me work my magic, man!" Adam had a silly grin on his face, "Of course, I'm kidding though."

"There's Fiona! Wow, she looks nice. Really nice."

"Back off, man!" Complained Adam, punching his brother on the arm.

"Don't worry. Bro code. I respect that you want to get in her pants first. But I get her right after though."

"Dude!"

"Okay, okay, that was wrong of me to say, sorry. I'll wait a week before I-"

"Dude!"

"Alright, I'll wait two weeks a-"

"Dude!"

"Two weeks! That's the best I can do, Adam! I've got needs, Adam! Needs that involve va-"

"Dude!"

"Alright, fine, all yours, all yours."

A peaceful silence filled the car as they neared the awaiting Fiona.

"Then how about I wait like a month? That's fair, right?"

"Dude!"

…

**A.N.** **Reading and reviewing** makes lil' ol' me smile. ;)

And yes, the previous chapter did move pretty fast compared to my usual style. Why? Because I wanted to set up the story without using up too many chapters. Namely, within one chapter.


	3. Chapter II: Too Fast, Too Soon

_**A.N.**__ If you have any personal questions about transitioning, please don't hesitate to PM me. Keep in mind the transitioning process is not entirely accurate (time frame wise) in this fiction, but also keep in mind that this fiction is lighthearted in regards to trans-topics (which can get very serious, so again, if you have any questions, I'm open to PM)._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter II: Too Fast, Too Soon<strong>

* * *

><p>Bianca had half her mind set to stay home watching cartoons instead of going to that party.<p>

Still, she had a _reputation_ to uphold and ditching the first big party of the year was not going to win her any brownie points from her "friends."Over the summer, her parents had sent her over to her grandmother living in the States. A few months of clearing her mind and body from drugs, alcohol, and thoughts allowed her to return refreshed; a small part of her still begged for the familiar feeling of tipsy. When she came back to Canada, she fell into her old habits once again. How could she not? Owen wouldn't quit calling, Fitz constantly wanted to catch up, and Ron-Ron tempted her with free weed.

She knew she was expected to get shit-face drunk and hook up with about ten boys tonight, and she wasn't looking forward to living up to her peers' reputation, but what else could she do? Life was easier if she just did what was expected of her to do; It was easy enough to get drunk to the point of blacking out, and if she hooked up, hopefully, she wouldn't remember all those hands and lips and _other_ things touching her and biting her and _violating_ her. Blacking out was a blessing in disguise.

Sighing, Bianca stared at herself in her wall-length mirror. With her much-too-low-cut red shirt tucked into her much-too-tight skirt with a studded belt around her waist and her short leather jacket, she understood why she was thought of as the school slut. She definitely looked the part. She just felt hesitant acting it. This was a new year; she wanted to be different, to fix herself. But how could she? Her name was already set and she doubted anyone would be willing to see her any differently. She might as well let that party side of her take control.

"Yo, Bianca, get out here already!"

Fitz's loud voice cut through the silence of her room, and she took her time pulling on her boots and walking out the front door to his clunky car parked across the street.

"Shit, Bee, you take so damn long," He complained, eyes wandering down her body, "But you look great."

"Thanks, I try." She sarcastically replied, sitting down in the passenger's seat, "Now let's see if this piece of junk can last until the party."

* * *

><p>The house was incredibly small looking at it from the outside, but once the two stepped in, they could understand why half of the students were invited to the party. The house could definitely handle that many guests; it had so many rooms, so much space, and countless stairs and hallways; Bianca was a little scared she'd eventually get lost. Already, drinks were being handed out in red cups and the punch bowl already looked spiked with ten types of date rape drugs. Grabbing a cup of beer from the refreshments table, Bianca downed it in one go, the students around her erupting in a frenzied cheer.<p>

"That's my girl!" Fitz hollered, downing his drink at once as well.

This was why she liked parties, Bianca smiled. She was good at it. Partying, that is. She was good at dancing through the crowds, grinding up against the nearest boy and causing him to have a small panic attack. She was skilled in drinking cup after cup without getting completely wasted, although it took quite a few more to finish her off for the night. When she was out, she was out. She was amazing at one-night stands, or at least that's what the rumors said. Parties were her thing. When it came to partying, she was the queen and all eyes and attention were drawn to her, and it felt so damn good.

Usually. Today, she felt sicker than anything. She just wanted to go home and sleep.

The front door opening and the loud laugh of Drew caught her attention, and looking back, she saw the football player walk in with Adam following behind him and that girl. Adam was talking with her, and Bianca fought the urge to throw her cup at her. Fiona, was she? She wasn't even that pretty. Maybe a little. But teeny tiny little, like the size of a grain of sand. Even more little. Bacteria little.

"And the Torres brothers are in the house!" Dave called out, "My boys, get your asses over here! We're about to start!"

The party goers who were not passed out, making out, or any other type of out gathered in the spacious living room, forming an imperfect circle.

"It's truth or dare. Party style. I just downloaded the app." Dave grinned wickedly, "No backing out. Grab a drink, everybody. Some of the things this app will have you do are going to be hard to explain if you ain't drunk."

Bianca rolled her eyes before taking another gulp of her beer. Fitz was right besides her, chugging another can, his face already red and his eyes already glazed over. The dares and the questions were really stupid, she thought. She barely paid attention to them, despite the fact that everyone else in the room seemed to be having a great time, especially Adam. He kept leaning over to Fiona and whispering to her, sharing a hushed conversation with the older girl. Bianca glowered. Maybe she wasn't drunk enough.

Already, one girl had to give Dave a lap dance, Jenna had to make out with Sadie, J.C. had to tell everyone his biggest fear, which happened to be spiders but it hardly surprised Bianca. She always pinned him as a softie anyways. A few more dares were handed out to students she didn't give half a shit about. The only entertaining thing that came out of the game so far was that Drew had to suggestively give a water bottle head. She decided Drew should stick to getting head instead of giving; he looked like a dog trying to eat an ice cream cone off the street whilst having a broken neck.

"Alright, Adam. Your turn. You're doing a dare." The clearly drunk Dave hiccupped, gleefully shaking his phone waiting for the app to settle on a dare for the younger Torres.

"Ha! This is perfect!" Dave smiled. Adam visibly gulped, although his face was beginning to redden from the single cup of alcohol he was slowly consuming throughout the night. Bianca wasn't surprised at that as well; Adam didn't look that much like a drinker.

"Alright, alright. This one's funny. It comes in two parts. First, you have to be in your underwear."

Dave had Bianca's full attention.

"Next, body shots off the girl wearing the color the app picks."

Everyone in the circle hooted and hollered as Dave shook the phone once again. Adam was a little red, embarrassed, but on the whole side, he seemed not to be too phased. Probably the alcohol, Bianca assumed.

"Red!"

Bianca noticed Adam's eyes went round, as did Fiona's and Drew's, and she raised her left eyebrow in confusion. Everyone seemed to be staring at her. Why? Was there something on her? She looked down and saw nothing wrong, just her tight skirt being as uncomfortable as ever and her red shirt as loose as a-

Oh shit.

"H-her?" Adam stammered, probably scared Bianca would yell or refuse.

"I guess it's me." Bianca shrugged, standing up. She didn't care; she was drunk (or at least the kids at the party thought she was) and she was bored. She figured this would at least be a little entertaining, seeing the boy struggle and blush trying to get the dare right. It wasn't as if she _wanted_ him to do it. It was for the sake of partying, for the sake of fun.

All the boys cheered and the girls giggled, although she could tell Fiona was not very pleased nor were Alli and Drew. It didn't matter; they hated her no matter what she did. And seeing Fiona mad was just too fun.

Approaching Adam, she slowly pulled her shirt off over her head, and she could see the flicker of anticipation in Adam's eyes mixed with fear and hesitation. But he'd do it, she was sure. Hell, even Drew looked ready to pounce on her.

"You gotta strip too, bro!" Dave yelled, and Adam hesitantly reached down and pulled his pants down, much to the glee of the other guests. His boxers had little puppies on them, Bianca noted with a smirk. How cute. He then reached down and pulled off his shirt, and Bianca was at a loss for words. This body was completely different from the one she had revealed to the whole school last year.

Although there was still the faint outline of surgical scars running underneath his pectorals, his breasts were completely gone. He had worked his body hard over the summer, and it showed. He was broader, his stomach was toned with the distinct outlines of abs beginning to show, and his arms, although not overtly muscular, were well defined and cut. He had a nice body, Bianca thought to herself, not that she cared.

"No backing out now, Bee!" Dave drunkenly smiled, pushing her towards the ground.

Clad only in her bra from waist up, she lied down on the ground after brushing Dave's hands off of her, hearing the cheers and the drunken encouragements from the other party goers. Dave dropped a lime wedge into her mouth that he took from the refreshments trays, which she held between her teeth and between her lips. He began pouring a thin line of salt, from the top of the bellybutton, between her breasts, and to the middle of her neck.

"Get thisf ovfer wiff, Torres." She said from behind the lime wedge, her words muffled. Adam's nervous expression was replaced by a more confident one, thanks to the alcohol as well as his newfound pride in his body. Probably the positive reaction from his peers to his naked upper body, Bianca smiled, good for him. She immediately frowned. Not that she gave a shit.

"Here's the shot."

Adam placed the cup on the ground before leaning over Bianca, very slowly lowering his head towards her belly button. She felt as nervous as his breaths felt on her bare skin. For a good five seconds, he stayed there, not quite touching her but his breath still brushing up against her. She hated how excited she was getting.

Tongue.

She could feel his mouth finally move the final few inches necessary to lick off the salt on her stomach. Slowly, his tongue lapped up, following the trail on her stomach, occasionally moving back down to lick up any salt grain left behind. She felt herself involuntarily shiver, but told herself it was because she was shirtless and it was cold, not because Adam's tongue felt so fucking amazing at doing what it was doing. Did he do this before? He must have.

His tongue continued its journey upwards on the salty trail, slowly moving between her breasts, although she felt his tongue occasionally stray much too far from the salt trail to be unintentional. Stop straying and stay between the breasts, Adam, not on them, Bianca sighed. Or at least she tried to. She was too busy pressing her teeth as far together as she could without juicing the lime wedge. She didn't want any sounds stuck in her throat to slip on through, not that Adam could ever make her.

He was finally at her neck, gently lapping at the most sensitive areas of it, causing her to close her eyes and flinch, hoping he would finish but at the same time, never stop. A small sound in the back of her mouth threatened to spill out, but before it could, the soft tongue was gone. Bianca could hear him drink the shot, and a few seconds later, his face was in front of hers. She opened her lips, allowing him to lean down and take the lime from her mouth, but for a split second, their lips touched. Both he and she paused, breaths bated despite the cheers and hollers of the kids surrounding them. She turned her head and he pulled away.

Before he was completely vertical, she leaned up and quickly whispered into his ear, "We're drunk." _This doesn't mean anything._

He repeated in the same whisper. "We're drunk." _I know._

He finished the dare, and Bianca quickly got up and pulled on her shirt before rushing across the room back next to Fitz, ignoring the glares from Fiona, Alli, and Drew. She also tried her best not to return Adam's confused gaze searching for answers, because she wasn't sure what happened herself. Ninety percent of the students here would forget the dare or remember it and brush it off as another party drunken moment, but she knew she couldn't and she knew he couldn't as well. This was different.

Now she really wanted to go home. No hooking up tonight. Maybe a getting drunk didn't sound so bad, though. No, no, she _was_ already drunk, she reprimanded herself. When you're drunk, you're not responsible for anything. You don't have to do anything but apologize for being drunk. She was drunk and he was drunk. Yes, that was the only way this made sense. It _must_ be true.

Sighing, relieved that the party was still continuing without a hitch, the subject of the intense party games now Sav, Bianca looked up. At that same moment, Adam faced away from his brother and caught her eyes.

They could see it in the other's eyes. They both knew.

This changed everything, _everything_.

He mouthed something to her.

"_But we're both drunk."_


	4. Chapter III: A Friend

_**A.N.**__ I didn't forget you all! Sorry, I've got a lot of classes and everything's crazy right now, so thank you for following this little fiction. I do sincerely love your reviews and so thank you to my reviewers and readers!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: A Friend<strong>

* * *

><p>"Seriously Adam? First day back at school and you already hooked up with the biggest bitch in school?"<p>

Adam sighed and flipped over on his bed, burying his face on his pillow in an attempt to drown out the disappointed voice of his older brother.

"It was a dare, not a hook up!" He complained, raising his head again, "Now go and let me sleep."

"She was drunk! When she finds out what she did with you today, she's going to murder you! You know how bad things were last year. Do you want a repeat of it?" Drew was absolutely fuming, pacing the floor of his brother's room.

"Look, Drew. I was pretty drunk too. But you and I drank less than almost everyone at that party. No one will remember what happened, and if they do, they'll remember bits and pieces. I can easily say it didn't happen or that I didn't remember it. I'll be fine!"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, bro. I know I'm freaking out and everything but you have to understand. I guess you're right, but things could have gotten really bad, you know? You're my little brother. I have to look out for you." Drew gave a lopsided smile to his brother, sitting down next to him, "I don't want her to hurt you again."

"You know, earlier on today in class, we made a truce. We agreed to not fight this year. Ignore each other or something. She's different now; she's more, I don't know, reserved. Subdued. I don't know, but I'm not that worried. Well, I was, but now, I'm okay with it. I mean, it was just a party and we were just drunk. It meant nothing." Adam rolled over, "We're civilized towards each other now, but she hates me and I hate her. It'll stay that way. I'm just annoyed all this had to happen on the first day back to school. This _would_ happen to me."

"Yeah, but you know what they say. Start the year with a bang." With a wink, Drew gave his brother a pat on the head, allowing him to fall back asleep before leaving the room, giving one last glance back.

"Just… be careful, Adam."

* * *

><p>He was not looking forward to Advanced Literature.<p>

Sighing, Adam pulled on basketball shorts and unable to find a clean shirt due to his negligence in emptying his dirty clothes into the laundry basket, he pulled on a soft, red hoodie and zipped it all the way up. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too uncomfortable. Grabbing his backpack from the floor, (just as he left it there the day before, completely void of completed homework) he walked outside and waited for his brother. Drew came jogging outside a few minutes later, throwing his bag in the backseat before igniting the engine.

"You take too long, Princess Drew," Adam sighed, turning up the radio to drown out his brother's inevitable whining.

"What? Princess? Come on! You know how hard it is for me to come out looking this good? I can't just wake up looking this pretty. I mean, yeah, I do, but sometimes I need to enhance it, you know? I'm just kidding, I'm not pretty. Princesses are pretty, but I'm not pretty. I'm handsome. Rugged. Like drop-dead, I-want-that-fine-boy-to-come-jump-onto-my-bed-and- make-half-hispanic-bab-"

This was going to be a _long_ car ride.

* * *

><p>Arriving early to class, Adam sat down in his assigned seat, pulling out his homework and attempting to finish it in the ten minutes he had left. So focused on the homework was he that he didn't feel the soft tap on his shoulder. The tap came harder this time, and immediately, Adam jerked his head up, worried that his teacher might have caught him.<p>

"I swear I did my homework, Teacher!"

"I'm sure you did, Adam," said the girl in front of him, giving him a knowing smile, "Then I suppose you wouldn't want to take a little peek at my homework, hm?"

"No! I mean, yes, please! That would be so amazing right now," Adam stuttered as the girl sat down in the seat beside him.

"I was kidding, Adam. If you paid attention, you would know that this assignment is due tomorrow, not today."

"Oh, well, in that case, forget this!" Adam pushed the paper away from him, leaning back in his seat with a satisfied grin, "I'll do it tonight or something."

"Keep to your word! I'm not helping you out." She said.

Adam couldn't help but notice the awkward silence that fell between them for a quick second before she began talking once again.

"So… about last night…" She muttered under her breath, "How… uh, was it? Your first big party, right?"

"It was… fun, I think? I seriously drank too much. I can't even remember where the party _was_, to be honest. Why, did something interesting happen?" He lied, nervously tapping his fingers against his desk, "Because, wow, all a blur. I learned about this in health or something. You know, drinking and mem, uh, memory loss and stuff."

"I don't think memory loss is the right word," She said, looking somewhat relieved, "So you don't remember the party at all? Nothing? So you didn't like anything about it?"

"Why are you so curious? Did something really happen there?" He feigned innocence and she seemed to be buying it. Slowly, more and more kids began to trickle into the classroom.

"Oh, nothing. I don't remember that much either, I'm just making sure. You know, because." She seemed much more relaxed now, and Adam was happy the tension was gone.

"Get out of my seat," a tired, gruff voice demanded, prompting the girl sitting down to quickly stand up.

"Nice talking with you, Adam," She smiled once more at the boy before giving the other girl a strange, confused look and walking off to her seat.

"Yeah, bye Fiona," Adam called out after her, watching her walk to her seat all the way in front of the classroom, "Was great catching up with you."

The tired girl who arrived moments before collapsed on the chair, head resting on the desk before her.

"You seem, uh, out of it today, B-bianca," Adam finally choked out, unable to find the right words to say to the girl who had practically devoured salt off his stomach less than twenty-four hours ago.

"Stupid party," she grumbled, "Drank too much."

"It seems to me that you always come to school with a hangover," He attempted to joke.

"Ha, really funny, Torres. You should be a freaking comedian."

Adam noted the sarcasm laced in her voice and kept quiet for a few moments before speaking again, "That party was really, um, something, right? I drank too much too. I mean, not that much since I don't have a hangover or anything but like I can't even remember the party or anything and stuff."

Bianca raised her head off the table and gave him a bored look, "Alcohol virgin blacking out after his first party? Should have expected that."

Still, her shoulders visibly relaxed and her voice dropped to a softer tone, "It's alright. I drink all the time and I forgot yesterday too. I'm sure nothing important happened so we didn't miss out on anything big. Everyone was passed out when Dave's cousin came back home, I heard."

"You mean his cousin didn't give him permission?"

"What's _permission_? I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with French."

Adam glanced over at Bianca to see her head resting on the desk once again, a small smile gracing her lips.

"Oh? Is The Bianca DeSousa making a joke?" Adam prodded, "Are you feeling well? Should I call for the school nurse?"

"Please, Adam. I make jokes all the time. It's crazy how many jokes I make. I'm like Santa. But with jokes."

"Funny. But Santa doesn't make anything. The elves do. He just delivers them in one day because he's a really heavy procrastinator and still gets all the credit."

Bianca rolled her eyes at the seething protective stance he had for elves.

"Well, sorry, Mister Elves professional. I'm not exactly a Christmas person anyways."

"What? Why not? Christmas is fun! It's like, the most beautiful time of the year. Lights always filling up the streets and it-"

"So now you resort to quoting Bieber to describe your precious holiday, hm?"

"I _like_ Bieber. He's got vocal talent… and a hot girlfriend. Mostly the hot girlfriend."

"Yeah, well, Christmas is stupid. I stopped believing in Santa when I was like six years old. All I wanted was a burger, maybe some snow, and a pony or a dragon or something. I don't know, something I could have forever. Something only for me. But I got _none_ of that because, as we all know, Santa's a big, fat phony, " Bianca spat, eyebrows drawn in anger.

"So this is why you're such a bitter person, huh?" Adam joked, "But seriously, a pony or a dragon?"

"Stop being annoying, Torres." She turned her head towards the desk, staying still as the teacher called for the class's attention.

Mean Bianca was back, Adam sighed.

"And I'm not bitter!" The girl grumbled besides him, and he smiled.

"Of course not, Bianca."

* * *

><p>"Adam? Adam. Adam!"<p>

"Huh? What?"

The boy shot up from his seat, wiping the last bit of sleep from his eyes.

"Class just ended."

Adam nervously laughed before grabbing his bag from the floor and watching as Fiona waited by the door. He poked the girl in the seat next to him to wake her up before heading towards the brown haired beauty, her lips drawn taut in an unhappy grimace.

"Uh, are you okay Fiona?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just… let's just get out of here."

She quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the room as he turned back to see a sleepy Bianca lift herself off her seat, an angry frown on her face. Bianca must still have that hangover, Adam decided.

"Feel better!" He called out as Fiona yanked him towards his next class as Bianca slowly rubbed her eyes and grumbled.

"Not likely."

* * *

><p>Adam walked into his last period class with a silly grin spread wide across his face.<p>

Still feeling the effects of the alcohol and emotional overhaul of the party, Bianca was leaning against the matted wall, rolling her eyes as the younger Torres sibling stopped to talk with a few of the students before noticing her and bounding over. Putting on her best annoyed face, Bianca raised an eyebrow when he slid down the wall and sat next to her, his legs crossed.

"Why are you here?" Bianca sighed, hands running through her hair.

"I'm not allowed to sit next to a friend?" Adam smiled, and Bianca could feel a sharp pang in her stomach. How could he consider her a friend after all the things she did to him only months before?

"Friends? I thought we agreed to be mutually in hate." Bianca gave the slightest of grins.

"Why not in love? Wait, no, not like in love-love but like friendship love. Why not mutually in friendship love, not hate, yeah." Adam stumbled over his words, something Bianca felt was… endearing.

"Are you asking me to be your _friend_, Mr. Torres?" Bianca teased despite herself, "I think this is happening all too fast!"

"Can you seriously resist the Torres charm?" winked the young man, throwing his arm around Bianca's shoulder, "But I'm being serious. Can't we be friends?"

Bianca's lips drew a tight line.

"If you tell me why you're so chipper, then maybe," Bianca finally said.

"Oh, uh," Adam's cheeks flushed red, "Uh, Fi-Fiona wanted to, uhm, hang out or something after school or yeah, uh, yeah."

Eyes wide but eyebrows knitted together, Bianca rolled her eyes at the boy struggling with his words, before biting her lip. She didn't know exactly why, but she felt a surge of anger course through her at his words, and she felt the strong urge to slap Adam on the face, although she resisted. If it had been a few months ago, she would have hit him with no hesitation, although she still wouldn't have been able to explain _why_ she had slapped him, but _still_. He was just pissing her off somehow. But she had to be an adult now, she thought to herself, and not childish.

"That's cool." Bianca muttered through gritted teeth, lips forced into a frozen, tense smile.

"So… friends?"

"Yeah, sure. Friends."

Being mature _sucked_.


	5. Chapter IV: Maybe

**A.N.** I apologize for the lack of updates on this story, so here's a fairly long chapter. I do plan on updating this story. The last chapter I updated was 02-13-12, and it's currently 6-23-13, so the chapters following this one might variate in writing style. I wrote this chapter long ago but recently managed to edit and finish it off. Thank you to all readers who are still interested in this story despite my year-long neglect! Feel free to leave a review or a comment.

**Chapter IV: Maybe**

He read somewhere, not quite sure _where_ exactly, but he read somewhere that one of the positives of being a female-to-male transgender was that it would be much easier to read girls, since living as one for an indefinite amount of years was bound to give some insight on the workings of the female gender. Adam felt a bit cheated; he was transgendered so why didn't he receive that perk? If there was a standardized test on comprehending a girl's thoughts, Adam was sure he'd fall within the negative percentile of the entire world.

Those 10,000 piece puzzles of grass growing were easier to understand. The last time Mrs. Torres brought home one of those puzzles, Adam was only able to put the border pieces together. That's how he felt that his comprehension of girls was like; it was easy for him to see the girl's actions and to hear the things she said, but the inside, the thoughts and reasons behind it all, was still a jumbled mess for him to understand. The big picture was lost on him; a girl's intentions and motivations were impossible for him to make out.

That's why he felt a bit confused when Fiona asked if he wanted to hang out with her afterschool.

Did she like him? But as a brother or as a potential boyfriend? Was he even manly enough for her? Maybe she wanted to get closer to Drew or maybe she viewed him as a gay best friend kind of a deal. Or maybe she wanted to introduce him to her boyfriend. If she had one. Maybe she was a lesbian! No, no. With his luck, this was definitely just them hanging out as friends, not that he had a problem with it. She was a good friend. In fact, she was a great one. She alw-

"Torres? Torres, snap out of it."

The impatient snarl of the girl in front of him shook him out of his panicked thoughts. Shaking his head loose of all misgivings and self-consciousness, he grabbed the awaiting hand of Bianca and pulled himself up, almost pulling her down along the way.

"Woah, Adam. Not so hard." She murmured, dropping his hand and crossing her arms as they walked side-by-side.

"I'll walk you to your locker." Adam quickly stated, not wanting to lose his newfound friend's company just yet.

"We decide to be friends literally ten minutes ago and already you're pushing the limits." Bianca laughed, lightly punching him on the shoulder.

"But you find it endearing, right?" He asked, giving her a childish grin.

"Honestly, it's just adorable," replied Bianca while rolling her eyes at the boy.

The two teenagers came to a stop in front of Bianca's locker. As Bianca fiddled with the combination lock, Adam leaned against the cold metal, slightly flinching when remembering the last time he walked her here. Bianca could sense how uncomfortable he felt and threw a few folders into her bag before shutting the locker in haste.

"Sorry." Bianca sighed, leaning against the locker next to him and closing her eyes shut, "Sorry about all that shit I pulled on you last year. And what I did here."

Silently, Adam allowed the memory to play in his head once more. For months and months, every time he closed his eyes, he would see this scene, the one mistake that led to his outing, play over and over. It haunted him at night, embarrassing him and slowly stealing the sleep away from him. He managed to suppress the memories of the year before; all the pain, hurt, betrayal, anger, and depression he felt he learned to hide, and standing there, in the place where his bullying began next to the person who outed him felt strangely calming. When the memory played over again in his head, he no longer felt that sharp pain, although he did still feel flush and embarrassed, but instead felt a bit relieved. He knew things got better for him and although the past there hurt him, it was about time he got over it.

"You know what? I'm actually feeling pretty good. I'm feeling good and I'm happy that one year later, we're here as we are. It shows how much we've grown." Adam said with a slight smile, "And I'm glad you're my friend again."

Before the shocked and humbled Bianca could reply, the voice she closely associated with the devil (and the face she wished would closely associate with her fist) called out Adam's name.

"Oh, hey Fiona!" Adam exclaimed, his voice a bit too chipper for Bianca's taste.

"I was looking for you everywhere!"

"I was looking for you _everywhere_." Bianca repeated under her breath, mocking the socialite the best she could without Adam hearing.

"So are you in the mood for sushi? I don't really know the best restaurants for it but I'm sure craving it right now." Fiona smiled, hooking her arm into his.

"Well, sure. I have to stop by my locker first. I was just walking B to hers," Adam explained, eliciting a grin from Bianca and a tight-lipped frown from Fiona at the nickname.

"Oh, we're just hanging out, right?" asked Adam, pushing off from the lockers behind him.

"Well, obviously." Fiona laughed, "Why do you ask?"

"Maybe B can come with us then. Drew told me she loves eating sushi so she can help us find a good place."

"I'm not sure that's the best idea, Adam." said Bianca, raising a brow.

"We'll do just fine without her," Fiona quickly added, "The two of us will have a great time!"

The way Fiona was latching onto Adam's arm and the nervous pink that was tinting his cheeks were beginning to bother Bianca. She wasn't sure why but she had the urge to drop-kick the socialite back to New York. Still, she was set on declining the invitation until she caught a glimpse of Fiona eying the younger boy's lips. She glared at Fiona, not really knowing why she felt so annoyed, but she wasn't about to leave the boy alone with that girl. After all, it wouldn't be fair for such a sweet boy like Adam to possibly become corrupt because of this socialite.

It's a big sister thing, she thought to herself.

"Actually, I think I will go."

* * *

><p>Adam had a plate piled high with colorful raw fish and assorted rice balls that he eagerly grabbed from the self-serving, rotational buffet plates. A single sushi platter rested in front of Fiona as she slowly poked at it and Bianca was still fiddling with the wooden chopsticks. She was pretty good at using them but getting the two lengths of the chopsticks apart was always a big issue for her.<p>

"Here. I'm like a pro at this."

Carefully, Adam placed Bianca's chopsticks between his hands and with a snap, the utensil split into two perfect pieces. He handed the chopsticks over to her with a bow and she raised the back of her hand to her forehead as dramatically as possible.

"You're a modern day Superman." She mockingly swooned as Adam laughed and Fiona glared.

"Adam, could you split mine too?" Fiona sweetly asked, pushing hers towards him.

"Sure thing!"

It was Bianca's turn to glare as Adam handed the chopsticks back to Fiona, who smiled and left a short, chaste kiss on the side of his cheek. Adam turned red as Fiona winked at the boy and picked up the sushi between her chopsticks.

"Gee, I should split chopsticks for pretty girls more often," joked Adam.

Bianca tried to fight the weird sensation burning up her insides when Fiona sat closer to the younger Torres, her hand occasionally brushing past the boy's arm. The strong urge to kick the socialite off her chair was hard to resist, but by some early Christmas miracle, she managed. All the while, Adam did not stop chattering on. The two girls ate in silence while listening to the excited boy between them talk animatedly about some new comic book.

"I think I need to go to the bathroom." Adam suddenly said, standing up while a small grin slowly spread across his cheeks.

"Uh, why is that making you smile?" asked Bianca, a bit creeped out by the boy's reaction to having to use the restroom.

"Oh, uh, it's just that this is the first time I'll be using a public bathroom outside of school after my operation." Adam excitedly murmured, "I mean, I know I don't have a "buddy" down there and I know I've been using the men's bathroom before my operation and shots, but it feels different somehow. Like I don't need to constantly worry about being discovered or… you know. I don't know. Uh, I really have to pee though so…"

Feet jittery, Adam quickly stood up and rushed to the restrooms, cursing himself for drinking all those cups of water but still with an excited zeal. The two girls watched the boy stumble away with smiles on their faces before turning to each other heatedly.

"What do you think you're doing?" Fiona whispered fiercely at the younger girl, "I thought you hated him! Why do you want him now?"

"Want him? You have to be kidding me! I don't want him! I don't want anyone. I'm just protecting him from the likes of you!" Bianca growled, jabbing a finger in front of Fiona's face.

"The likes of me? What's wrong with me? You're the one who made his life a living hell, okay? I did absolutely nothing wrong to the boy."

"Oh, please. Almost half the school already knows about your drinking problem. Perfect Princess Fiona my ass. You're just going to hurt him."

"And when have you ever cared about hurting him? In fact, when have you ever cared about hurting anyone?"

"_Excuse_ me? You're the one who goes around acting like you can do anything you want because your mommy's filthy rich!"

"At least I _have_ a mother!"

"At least I'd never make out with a _sibling_!"

"_You're_ the one throwing your body around all willy-nilly!"

"At least I don't use words like willy-fucking-nilly!"

"Uh, are you two okay?"

"We're great!" Bianca quickly said, gritting her teeth and throwing an arm around Fiona as the other girl did the same.

"I swear you two were just about to kill each other literally five seconds ago." Adam replied.

"She just really hates the words willy-nilly." Fiona said, "Understandable. It's a strange word, isn't it?"

"Exactly!" Bianca added, removing her arms from Fiona's shoulders.

"Oh. Well, that's really weird. But okay. How's the sushi?"

"Fantastic." Fiona smiled, picking up a roll between her chopsticks and bringing it to his mouth, "You've _got_ to taste this one!"

Adam allowed her to feed him as Bianca watched with a tight-lipped frown. The two girls watched as he curiously chewed the delicacy, slowly swallowing before taking a swig of water.

"Anyways, I'm glad we're all getting along. I'll go pay the check."

Innocently, Adam smiled at the girls, who smiled back as widely as they possibly could. Getting off the chair, he grinned once more at the girls before walking away. As soon as he was far enough away, the smiles on each of their faces dropped and Fiona pointed a manicured finger at Bianca.

"_Slut_."

"_Bitch_."

* * *

><p>"You went on a date with Fiona <em>and<em> Bianca?"

"It wasn't a date, dude. We were all just hanging out."

Eli smirked at his best friend before throwing an arm around the boy's shoulder and leaning in close.

"Oh Adam. Oh, my innocent, young Adam."

"Knock it off, man. I'm like the same age as you."

Laughing, Adam pushed his friend off of him, jumping up from the couch and reaching for a bowl of chips on the table before them. He sat back down, the bowl falling on his lap as Eli reached over for a chip.

"That does _not_ look right."

Clare stated, walking up from behind the couch.

"No matter. I've got a chip and I am satisfied." Eli smirked, making room for his girlfriend.

"Anyways, our boy Adam here has two women in his sights."

"No, I don't," Adam sighed before facing Clare, "I really don't."

"Eli, stop teasing Adam." Clare demanded, playfully smacking Eli on the shoulder before sitting down.

"Yeah, stop teasing me. Fiona's totally not into me and Bianca? Really? Do we not all remember how much she despised me last year? I'm just happy we're friends now."

"Well, enough talk then. Let's pop in that movie and enjoy our Friday night!"

Eli smiled and looked to Adam, who only stared back with a confused look on his face.

"Wasn't Clare supposed to bring it?"

"What? No! Eli was supposed to!" Clare exclaimed.

"Me? I don't remember ever… oh, right. Damn! That slipped my mind completely!"

"That's too bad. Well, good thing my favorite program's on right now, so we can just watch that. But too bad about the movie, boys. I'm disappointed about the movie though, really, I am." Clare said in a voice that didn't sound as upset as it did eager.

As the opening credits to _Gossip Girl_ graced the screen, Clare leaned back on the couch, a content smile on her face as the two boys groaned. Friday rolled by slowly that night.

* * *

><p>Bianca felt herself tense up when he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards himself. The smell of strong alcohol enveloped the entire room and a thick curtain of smoke filled the air between them. She couldn't recall the boy's name and she couldn't be bothered to care. His lips smashed hard onto hers and she winced, pulling away from the drunken boy.<p>

"Easy there. I'm not drunk enough not to feel that." She said as he passed out on her shoulder.

Rolling her eyes, she stepped to the side, grinning when he fell on the ground with a loud thud. Oh, he was definitely going to feel that in the morning.

Leaving the room, she made her way down the stairs and to the living room, searching through the crowd of people for Fitz. The living room stank of weed and alcohol, and when she found her friend, he was half-asleep on the floor, a semi-circle of people passing around a bong surrounding him.

"He took a huge hit and he kind of passed out." One of the more sober kids managed to say.

"Great. My ride home's unavailable and it's already two in the morning." She complained.

"Biancaaaa."

Turning around, she was face to face with Owen, who was holding a red cup in one hand and car keys in the other.

"Fitz told me before to tell you… uhhh-" He paused for a second, trying hard to regain his train of thought, "-wants you to use his car."

"Are you sure?" Bianca asked.

"Yeah, I'm… I'll drive him home in the- the morning." Owen slurred, swaying as Bianca grabbed the keys in his hand.

"Thanks, Owen."

"Okay, drive safe!" He laughed before taking another huge gulp of the drink and stumbling elsewhere.

She made her way to the car and managed to sit in the front seat. After spending ten minutes trying to ignite the car, realization hit her.

"I'm tipsy?"

It came as more of a question to her. Usually, she could handle a few shots of pure vodka with minimal consequences, but today, she only drank three. It surprised her how dizzy she felt and how impossible it was for her to turn the keys properly to start the engine. A part of her head screamed at her, telling her that driving now would inevitably end in disaster, but the other part of her told her it was fine. After all, she wasn't slurring her words and she handled more before- she couldn't possibly be tipsy.

Frustrated, she stumbled back into the house and threw the keys at Fitz, rolling her eyes when one of the people around him picked it up with shaky fingers and shoved it into Fitz's front pocket.

"Perfect."

With another sigh, Bianca walked back out of the house. Driving was out of the question because although she _felt_ fine, she knew her motor skills and reaction times were probably suffering due to the alcohol, and she didn't want to risk a car crash. She might've been a bitch most of her life, but God forbid she take somebody's life by driving intoxicated. She weighed her options in her mind. Going back to the party was out of the question. She felt queasy just standing there for five seconds to return Fitz's keys. An entire night crashing there might literally suffocate her.

Taking a quick look around her, she drew a map in her mind, pinpointing her general area. Drawing her knowledge from living in the town for a good portion of her life, she tried to recall who lived near the party host.

A light lit up in her head. She remembered walking down this street once, with somebody. She couldn't recall who (the affects of the alcohol were still causing her to fade in and out of consciousness) but she did remember walking down this exact street. With renewed vigor, she quickened her pace down the street, only pausing every few minutes to get her bearings.

Eventually, she came to a stop in front of a decent sized house. There were two cars in the driveway and the windows of the house were dark. Eyebrows creased, she paced and tried to remember who lived here. She was so concentrated in her thoughts that she did not see the mailbox in front of her and with a loud bang, she walked into it.

"Shit!"

Whispering under her breath, she grabbed her stomach and stood back up, quietly cursing at the mailbox. Her eyes widened.

"The mailbox!"

Whipping her head to the side, she tried to make out the name on the mailbox in the dark.

"T… O…Torres. Oh, shit."

Everything returned to her at once. She remembered walking here with a friend to a party Drew threw a year back, before anybody knew Adam was transgendered. She recalled the long walk and the empty driveway and the loud music as the students partied with the school's newest hot-shot football player and his cute little brother. She even recalled sharing a bowl of chips with the younger Torres. Before she, well, messed up his entire high school life.

"Just my luck." Bianca muttered, covering her eyes with a hand.

Almost every part of her told her to turn and run back to the party, but the more sensible, tired part of her told her to put her shame away and call the boy. He forgave her; she _knew_ he did, but still. She felt a strange heaviness inside of her that felt a whole lot like guilt.

"Just call him. Just call him." Bianca repeated while pulling out her phone as hastily as her shaking fingers could manage.

A few seconds after calling him, she saw one of the windows light up at the side of the house and she quietly ran to it.

"Mm, Bianca? Why'd you call?" A sleepy voice on the other line asked.

"Sorry Adam but I needed a place to crash because I'm a little out of it and I'm outside your house and never mind, this is stupid of me, I'm sorry, I'll just go sleep at the party and-"

"Woah, Bianca, calm down. You're rambling. You never ramble." Adam laughed softly.

"Sober Bianca never rambles. Tipsy Bianca rambles." Bianca replied.

"Tipsy Bianca's kinda cute." Adam joked.

"Tipsy Bianca says shut up!" Bianca replied, grinning despite herself.

Bianca waited for a response, staring at the window with the light on, but no reply came. Frowning, she tried speaking again.

"I didn't really mean it when I said to shut up." Bianca whined softly into the phone.

"Yeah, I figured."

Bianca jumped in shock when she saw the boy next to her, smiling as he brought the phone down from his ear and ended the call. He was in basketball shorts and a loose fitting blue shirt.

"Don't scare me like that!" Bianca exclaimed, slapping his shoulder, "How'd you get outside without opening the door?"

"Magic." Adam said, wiggling his fingers, "No, but really, I just used the back door. Less chance of getting caught."

Adam grabbed Bianca by the wrist and pulled her along, sneaking into the back door and closing it softly before letting go of her.

"Follow me quietly, alright?" Adam whispered.

"No, I'll just make elephant noises and hop to your room." Bianca retorted in an equally quiet voice.

"I take it back. Tipsy Bianca's way too sarcastic." Adam joked, earning another slap to the back.

The two noiselessly made their way up the stairs and into Adam's room, which Adam made sure to close and lock. Bianca took one look at Adam's bed and jumped on it, smiling in bliss at the soft blankets and subtle scent of cologne that emitted from it.

"Hey, shouldn't you change first? Your clothes don't look exactly comfortable to sleep in."

"Oh, could I borrow something?" Bianca asked.

"Yeah, sure. Grab whatever you want from my closet." Adam replied, "For a tipsy girl, you sure don't speak like one."

"I'm told I look three shots more sober than I actually am." Bianca smirked, reluctantly getting up and walking to the closet, "It's actually a hidden talent. And to be honest, I didn't drink too much. After that last party, I've been trying to reduce my chances of blackouts."

"Sounds smart." Adam commented, laying back on his bed and staring at his ceiling.

"There. Thanks for that."

Bianca returned to the bed wearing a loose blue v-neck and shorts. She jumped into the bed beside him and laughed when the force of the jump caused his head to hit the bed post.

"Are you trying to murder me, woman?" Adam asked, rubbing his head.

"Don't be a little baby." Bianca teased, tapping his nose and snuggling into his blankets, "God, your bed is so freaking comfortable."

"Isn't it?" Adam said, "It's literally the softest bed you'll ever be on."

"I should sleep here more often." Bianca laughed as Adam leaned over to turn off the lights.

"Who says you're invited?" Adam replied, pulling the blanket up to his neck.

"I'm always invited."

"I don't think so."

"Say that I'm always invited."

"You can't make me." Adam challenged, turning sideways to face the older girl.

"Oh, you punk ass kid." Bianca growled, "No blanket for you, then."

With a quick tug, Bianca had the entire blanket on her person. Adam gasped, trying in vain to get his allotted blanket space back.

"Fine! You're always invited!"

"There we go."

With another laugh, Bianca gave Adam back half of the blanket, smirking when the younger boy's eyes shut closed the moment the blanket covered him. For a few minutes, with only the light from beyond the window lighting his face, Bianca laid on her side, studying the boy's face.

The testosterone made his features sharper and his jaw line more prominent, but he still had that boyish look that she found so calming about him. His hair was messy, a bit tussled from getting up at a crazy hour just to sneak her in, and his mouth was slightly spread, sleep quickly overtaking the boy. His breaths came in slow intervals, and Bianca found herself slowly matching her own breath to his. It was therapeutic, almost, sharing a bed with him. Something about him always seemed to draw her in. It was only when she noticed the boy had begun softly snoring that she realized she had spent the past half hour lying there, observing.

Shaking her head of all thoughts, she lied down on her back, trying to recollect herself. Of course the boy was interesting. He was the most interesting person she had ever met. This was a boy that she questioned the identity of, a boy she tormented for being himself, a boy she stripped of spirit and threw down into a personal hell. This was a boy who forgave her in a day and took her in his house without a second of doubt about her intentions. This was a boy unlike any other.

"You're too good to me." Bianca whispered, turning her head to face the sleeping boy.

Facing the ceiling once again, she let her mind drift, from the first time she met the boy to that fateful day in the hallway. Admittedly, back then, she really liked him from their dance classes together. When he had leaned against her locker, smiling at her, she felt a small jump in her heart. Of course, she didn't feel that jump anymore. It was never about liking the boy; she wasn't the type to like anyone for long anyways. She didn't like him.

Convincing herself, Bianca closed her eyes and finally allowed sleep to overtake her, the soft snore of the boy beside her and the sweet, musky scent of his room gently lulling her senses to rest.

* * *

><p>In the morning, she was the first one up.<p>

She noticed how they had shifted in their sleep. He had his arm around her and she was pushed up against him. Her head was resting in the crook of his neck and for a few minutes after waking up, she lied still. It was comfortable, warm. Fighting the urge to fall back asleep in his arms, she gently pulled his arm off of her stomach and she slipped out of his embrace. She felt a strange cold wash over her and she almost felt compelled to roll back into his arms.

Her head felt clear of the rambling, airy filter the alcohol cursed her with the night before but she still felt tired from staying up late. She grabbed her clothes that she had neatly folded into a pile next to the bed. Quietly, she unfolded the shirt and began to pull off Adam's shirt when an arm shot out and grabbed her around the waist.

She was pulled backwards onto the bed, and she found herself back in Adam's embrace.

"Adam, I'm trying to dress-" Bianca managed to say before Adam held her even closer to himself, his sleeping face only inches from her own.

Bianca felt herself growing red, and in a desperate attempt to look away, she moved her face downwards, burying her head under his chin. It felt warm in his arms and she felt a wave of sleepiness overtake her.

She tried to concentrate on breaking away and leaving, but her body protested, enjoying this position.

"Okay, just a quick nap then." She told herself, feeling her eyelids start to lid.

"But this doesn't mean I like him." She quickly quipped in her mind, trying to settle all her running thoughts.

This she repeated in her mind as she drifted back into the sweet bliss of sleep, Adam's soft snoring overtaking her mind once again.

This doesn't mean I like him.

This doesn't mean I like him.

This doesn't mean I like him.

This _might_ mean I like him.

Well, fuck.


	6. Chapter V: Stasis

** A.N.** At this point, maybe Adam's just one of those people I end up shipping with _everybody_, because all my stories definitely reflect that. Does anyone else have this problem because maybe we should start some sort of group therapy session. **R&R**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter V: Stasis<strong>

"Hey Adam, your mom let me in but you weren't picking up your phone and I need to ask you about-"

Eli stopped his rambling short when he opened his friend's door wide enough to slip inside. Rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things, he shut the door behind him and stared for a few more seconds before approaching the younger Torres brother and smacking him lightly on the forehead.

"Augh." The boy grumbled, swatting Eli's hand away.

Still, Eli continued his poking of the boy until Adam finally snapped his eyes open, irritated at his best friend.

"What do you want, dude?" He asked, teeth bared.

"Uh, you have a little, uhm, situation, man."

Adam's expression changed to one of confusion as he followed Eli's line of vision and realized that he was currently pressed up against a very asleep Bianca DeSousa. With a silent yelp, he pulled his arms away and fumbled off the bed, causing the sleeping Bianca to frown at the sudden loss of warmth. His eyes widened in what looked like fear and he turned to his best friend.

"What happened here, Adam?" Eli wondered aloud, wiggling his eyebrows, "Frisky business?"

"No! No, no, not at all! I seriously… I mean, she was tipsy and she needed a place to stay and –"

"And you ended up sleeping with Bianca. The girl who tried to ruin your life."

"Ugh."

With a frustrated grunt, Adam covered his face with his hands. He sat on the edge of his bed, trying to clear his mind of any lingering traces of sleep.

"This is so stupid. Once she wakes up, she's gonna freak. It's like it's always one step forward and two steps back with her."

"Well, boy genius, maybe she'll be grateful about letting her crash the night." Eli said.

"Yeah, or she'll try to throw me out the window. Again." Adam retorted, standing back up.

"Hey, you said you two were friendly now."

"Friendly as in, "hey there, friend," not friendly as in, "hey let me spoon you, buddy."

"Uh, maybe you'll feel better if I told you that I'm heading to Fiona's and you're invited?" Eli tried, elbowing his friend in his side.

"Bianca's still here. I can't just leave her or whatever."

"Hey, she'll be fine, dude. Fiona wants you to come."

"How do you know Fiona anyways?" Adam asked, pulling on a clean, white shirt from his closet.

"She's working with me on the school play, actually. She's into fashion so she'll be in charge of wardrobe for this production. I'm obviously doing the directing, of course. Basically, the people meeting at Fiona's are people involved in the theater production but you're coming, right?"

"Right. But I still think I should stay until Bianca wakes up."

"Think of it this way. If she freaks out, you won't be here! Anyways, she'll probably want to be alone. Girls are like that sometimes." Eli reasoned, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, you're right. I'll just write her a quick note or something." Adam said, grabbing a pen and a loose sheet of paper.

"Alright. I'll be out in my car so don't take forever."

"Yeah, I won't be long."

When Eli stepped out of his room, Adam placed the paper on the bedside table and finished writing a quick note, making sure to fold it and write Bianca's names in large letters on the top. Noticing Bianca's clothes from last night on the side of the bed and a shirt in her hand, he took them and threw them into the clothing hamper, reminding himself to get them cleaned before his mom noticed them.

Bianca looked so innocent when she slept. Her lips parted in the center and her hair splayed around her, almost like a waterfall of brown curls surrounding her face. She sniffled a bit in her sleep too, and Adam made sure to adjust his blankets around the girl before taking a mental picture of the girl sleeping before stepping back and towards the door. There was something about Bianca that wouldn't leave Adam's mind. The thought of Bianca waking up to an empty bed disturbed him.

Still, she probably wouldn't appreciate his company. With a nervous chuckle, he closed the door behind him and headed out to Eli's car.

* * *

><p>Bianca realized two things waking up. The first was that it was past noon and the second was that Adam was missing.<p>

Confused she sat up and looked around, wondering if the boy had gone to the bathroom or was in the living room, watching television. She had half the mind to hunt him down and demand why he left her alone, but she quickly shook her head and reminded herself that she was the one who had trespassed and she was the one who should've left him be. Still, she couldn't stop herself from feeling a lot colder without him next to her, which was strange since she knew that Bianca one year ago would have been repulsed at the thought of being in a room with the other boy.

She never really understood why she harbored so much hatred towards him. He was always sweet and charming and clumsy in a way that made her feel like she was in grade school again, picking flowers for the class clown.

With a sigh, she stood and tried to find her clothes. While looking under the bed and in the closet gave her no leads to the location of her clothes, she did manage to find the paper Adam left, with her name scrawled on top in big letters.

"Classy." Bianca laughed, rolling her eyes.

Grabbing the paper, she turned it gingerly in her hands before opening it and beginning to read.

"Hey! You sleep a lot. So I was going to be polite and not ditch you while you were sleeping but my friend dropped by and I kind of need to go to this thing at Fiona's. I'm probably going to throw your clothes in the hamper and clean them later when I find them, since they're probably not fit to dress in. Feel free to borrow whatever you need. So yeah, thanks for dropping by, and thanks for not puking on me! You're probably feeling weird being in my room right now. So scram! Get off my lawn, you pesky youngster!"

Bianca laughed before grabbing the pen and writing a few words down on the paper. With another smile, she got off the bed and walked over to his closet, pulling out a red hoodie with the words "Deadhand" printed in black. Pulling that over her head, she kept the shorts she had on and she stuck her head out Adam's door, making sure nobody was there before quickly retracing her steps from the night before. Soon, she was out the back door, down the street, and back at the house from the party the night before.

She quickly walked inside, knowing well enough that the doors weren't locked. She found Fitz in the same location from the night before, and she gave him a nudge with her foot.

"Oh, uh, hey B. Damn, my head hurts."

"You can't tell me you didn't expect that."

"Yeah, whatever. Let's… let's get out of here. Help me up. Hey, I was asking for you before. Where were you?"

The question went unanswered as Bianca smacked Fitz on the back and pointed at his car.

"Drive me home, Fitz."

"Okay, but where were you? And where'd you get that hoodie? And why are you smiling like that?"

"Fitz, stop asking me questions and drive me home."

* * *

><p>Chewing carefully on the potato chip, Adam studied the people who were currently gathered around a television screen. He knew Eli, of course, the fall play director. Being the stage manager himself, he was familiar with most of the people there. Fiona, the wardrobe mistress, who was currently pressed up against his side, was new to the productions, but he had no doubt she'd do fine. She looked like she'd have an eye for fashion. Claire was there, even though she wasn't involved in theater this year, for what Eli called, "moral support."<p>

Imogen, the set designer, was sitting on his other side. He knew her from a few classes and from when she and Eli dated for a few months a little while back. She was a strange girl and her sense of style escaped him, but he figured it was an artist thing. Artists always had this flair about them that he didn't want to challenge.

There were a few others he recognized sitting amongst the jumble of couches and cushions, but he refocused his attention back on the television screen. Fiona did say this movie night was for the sake of "bonding," but he didn't see how staring at a screen silently would help any of them bond. Staring at the television, Adam felt himself being lulled to sleep but a silver shine from underneath the television screen caught his eye.

"No way! You have a gaming console?" Adam asked out loud.

The other students, who were falling asleep as well, were jolted awake at the sudden question.

"Well, yeah. My brother, Declan, played it a couple times. He left it here."

Shrugging, Fiona nestled her head on Adam's shoulder, but to her chagrin, Adam stood up.

"Eli, you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Hell yeah, man!"

Before anyone could react, the two boys had already plugged in the console and were flipping through a CD rack full of games. A few of the other theater boys gathered around them. Sighing, Fiona leaned back on the couch and turned to the other girls.

"Boys will be boys, huh?"

"Tell me about it." Claire agreed, watching her boyfriend hold up a CD.

"Tekken!" He cried, jamming it into the console.

By the next hour, the room was split. All the boys save Tristian were gathered around the television while the girls moved to the table in father side of the room, except for Imogen, who decided to stay and play with the boys.

"Let's talk boys." Fiona winked as most of the other girls smiled in agreement.

"Oh, please. Do we really have to be _that_ stereotypical?" Claire argued, "I mean, as girls, do all our conversations have to be about boys?"

"You already _have_ a boyfriend. Your opinion doesn't count." One of the freshmen piped in, clamming up when Claire glared her down.

"No, she has a boyfriend so her opinion matters _more._" Another student added.

"I didn't know my opinion's value was directly dependant on my boyfriend." Claire retorted, annoyed.

"Calm down, all of you. It's just for fun." Fiona said, grinning, "No harm in small talk."

"Crushes. Who's going first?" Tristian asked, before raising his hands in surrender, "Alright! I give, I give, I'll go first! He's not here, but remember that stagehand with the tattoos over his arms? I don't even know his name but _damn _the boy is fine!"

"That boy's a hottie." Fiona winked, pushing his shoulder, "Tristian has good taste, doesn't he?"

"Oh, stop it, Fi. Now tell us who you like."

"No one really." Fionna smiled, fiddling with her fingers.

"Please, girl, I could read you from a million miles away. You like someone. Now spill."

"Well, okay, fine, only because you insist. I might have a thing for Adam." Fiona gushed, lowering her voice so only the table could hear, "He's such a sweetheart and he's so adorable!"

"Oh. My. God. Funniest story, I thought he was gay for the longest time! I had the biggest thing for him too! I'm totally over it now but oh my God we literally have the same taste in boys!" Tristian squealed, grabbing Fiona's hand.

Clair scoffed, leaning back as Tristian and Fiona did a small happy dance across the table and as the other girls laughed at the sight. She didn't know why the Torres boy was so convinced girls would never like him when he was so popular among girls already.

"He won't be able to resist you." Tristian laughed, making the older girl blush.

Claire sat back and rolled her eyes at the comment, thinking to herself that Adam was so oblivious that it'd be pretty easy for him to resist her. She noticed one of the girls sitting at the table look down at the table.

"You okay?" She asked in a whisper, not drawing attention away from Fiona.

"Yeah, I'm fine." The girl replied, looking back up and smiling.

"You looked a bit down a second ago." Claire continued.

"It's nothing. I guess I didn't realize Fiona liked Adam too –"

"Woah, what makes you so sure Adam likes Fiona back?"

"I mean, she's pretty and rich and –"

"Adam's not superficial like that." Claire reassured, "And besides, you're pretty too."

"Thanks." The girl grinned, "But I think I'll step back from all this. I'm new here and I don't really want to be involved in any drama, but thanks for the concern. My name's Becky."

"I'm Claire."

As the girls shook hands, Claire looked over her shoulder to see her boyfriend and best friend battle it out in the video game, and when Adam let out a victory cheer, she sighed. She needed a talk with him, and fast.

* * *

><p>"You go on ahead. I need a word with Adam." Clare whispered, patting her boyfriend on the shoulder as Adam hopped out of his car and started up the stairs to his house.<p>

"Alright, babe." Eli winked, kissing his girlfriend on the cheek before watching her leave.

"Clare? What's up?" Adam asked.

He unlocked and held the door open for Clare, who graciously stepped inside before waiting for Adam to walk in and lead her to his room, eyebrow raised. He gently pushed open his door and looked inside at the empty room. The blankets were folded and he smiled when he saw his letter on the bedside table. Walking over, he picked it up.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about Fiona." Clare said, leaning against the wall of his room.

"What about her?" Adam replied noncommittally, reading the paper with a laugh.

"We need to talk about you and Fiona. I know relationships are supposed to be a naturally forming thing but you are so dense sometimes when a girl is throwing down clues and I think you should think about, you know, getting into a relationship- Adam, are you listening to me?"

"Huh, what's that?" Adam said, looking up from the paper.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Oh, Bianca just wrote me a reply to my letter's all. She's such an ass." He said with a smile, "In the best way, I mean."

"Bianca? She was here?"

"Well, yeah. Long story short, she stayed the night."

"You're close to Bianca now?"

"I mean, I guess. I really like her company. She's not that bad once you get to know her, if you give her a chance, you know. She's got a sweet side to her and she's real funny."

"You- you like her?"

"Bianca? Sure, yeah, I like her. She's become a really good friend, I think."

"No, I mean like…"

"Like?" Adam asked, looking up with a relaxed grin.

"Nothing. Nothing."

"Well, okay then. What did you have to say about Fiona?"

"Ah… Nothing."

"Uh, alright. You want to stay for dinner or something?"

"Eli's waiting for me out front. I'll see you Adam."

Giving Adam a quick hug, she rushed out the front door and into Eli's car, where he was humming along to the radio.

"Well, that was a short talk." Eli mused, smirking at her distraught expression.

"It didn't go over very well."

"What were you going to say to him?"

"I was _planning_ on confronting him about his feelings towards Fiona but now I'm not so sure."

"Bianca?" Eli laughed knowingly.

"Bianca." Clare groaned.

* * *

><p>Bianca leaned back in her sofa, frowning as whatever that was currently playing cut to commercial break. She could hardly consider staying home before noon fun but she didn't know what else to do. Her phone lied on the table in front of her, screen flashing with ignored texts and calls. There was a party down on Cherry Street but she could hardly be bothered. It wasn't worth all the pretending.<p>

Still, she was incredibly bored and growing increasingly restless, so with another shake of her leg, she stood and grabbed the phone off the table, skimming through her multiple texts. As she figured, a good majority of her inbox was about the party on Cherry but she smiled when she saw Adam's text come through as she looked through her texts.

_'Okay, I do not talk in my sleep and I did not sleep-tell you about that embarrassing time at summer camp like five years ago.'_

Laughing, she quickly typed out a response.

_'But if you didn't tell me, how exactly did I know about these events, mister?'_

_'Oh my god you totally read my diary.'_

_'Oo, you have a diary?'_

_'Fuck.'_

_'I'm bored. I'm coming over.'_

_'Oh are you now?'_

_'Yep. See you in a few, pants-wetter-Torres.'_

_'IT WAS ONE TIME! I WAS 12!'_

* * *

><p>Some part of her knew she'd regret this. That didn't stop her from standing in front of the Torres' house, holding two cups of coffee and ringing the doorbell with her elbow. She wasn't entirely sure why, but she felt a little jumpy at the thought of seeing Adam again, probably because the boy had this amazing ability to make things twenty times less boring just by being around. Something about the air around him emitted some strange feeling of comfort and relaxation, but she felt a clashing emotion of anxiousness when the door opened.<p>

There Adam stood, smiling brightly as he took in the girl before him.

"Is one of them for me?"

"Who else, Torres? Try not to wet your pants after drinking it though."

"Cruel."

Adam grinned, taking the cups of coffee before stepping aside for Bianca. She walked in slowly while looking around to make sure nobody was around before following the boy up the stairs and to his room. Shutting the door behind him, Adam placed the cups down on the bedside table and lied down on his bed, hands tucked under his head.

"So this is your idea of fun?" Bianca mused, lying down next to him and imitating his position.

"Trust me, we're not even at the best _part_ yet." Adam smirked, closing his eyes.

Bianca followed his motions, closing her eyes as she took in the comfortable silence between them and felt the cool air from the open window hit her face and legs. Although they were just lying there, Bianca felt a lot more lightweight then being at home and definitely more than being at a party. She was enjoying this time spent, cooling down without thinking too much or too hard. Maybe she should try this at home too.

"So I noticed you got my Deadhand sweater on. Nice choice."

"Yep. I'll be honest with you. I'm not even a fan."

"That's terrible! It's against my moral code to let a non-fan wear that sweater."

"I haven't got a shirt underneath but if you're _that_ insistent-"

"No, no, keep it on. Deadhand, what's that all about anyways, right? A medical condition? Who knows, who cares." Adam coughed.

"I'm joking, you idiot." Bianca laughed, eyes still closed.

"Hey! You can't call me an idiot in my own room."

"I think I just did, _idiot_."

"You think you're so clever, don't you?"

"Oh, I know I am, Torres."

"You're lucky you're attractive."

Adam laughed and Bianca felt her blood rush to her head. She was glad they both had their eyes closed and she shook off any weird nervousness that was intensifying. Although Adam's presence was calming to her, he seemed to have a side effect of wrecking chaos in certain parts of her mind. She squeezed her eyes closed tighter and willed herself to knock herself out of whatever she was feeling and hoped it worked.

"You're lucky you're… alright."

It worked.

"Alright? I call you attractive and all I get is alright? I sense foul play here."

"Oh? I was going for more of this being an accurate reading but whatever helps you sleep at night."

"Who invited you over?" Adam joked.

"I believe we had an agreement about me being always invited? I took liberties and assumed that meant I can be over whenever I want and for as long as I want."

For a moment, there was a silence, and Bianca wondered if she'd pushed it a bit too far. Biting her lip and opening her eyes, she tried to think of something to say in addition, but before she could, he turned his head towards her, smiling sweetly, and he spoke up.

"Can't argue with that logic. Not about to complain though. I kinda like you around."

Never mind. It didn't work.


	7. Chapter VI: The Bitter

**Note**; I've been gone for a while. Sorry! But don't worry, I haven't given up on this story. I'm definitely planning on finishing this story as well as a few others on my ff page. I've been busy with uni and I've had a few roadblocks in writing this story, but I spent a little while thinking and I've pretty much set up a very basic basis of what the next few chapters are going to be like, and all that's left is to write them and see how they pan out. And things are going to get crazy. Intense drama's just about to start, and I hope you stay until the bitter (or sweet) end!

* * *

><p>Chapter VI: The Bitter<p>

* * *

><p>The only thing shittier than being stuck in the back of a car for an entire hour is being stuck in the back of a car for an entire hour while a tired older brother uses whatever's in reach as a pillow.<p>

Adam grumbled to himself as he tried to shake his sleeping brother off of himself, but the older boy wouldn't budge. Smacking his brother's head didn't do anything but solicit him a warning glare from his mother and pushing him towards the window was impossible. He wondered if Drew's brain was made of lead, because whatever made it heavy was definitely going to ruin all feeling in his right arm. Groaning, he tapped his brother's head with his forefinger.

"Seriously, Drew. Get off me. Your face is like a thousand pounds."

His brother snorted in response, not budging from his uncomfortable position on Adam's shoulder. Irritated, Adam resigned to his fate and leaned his head against the seat, praying that the ride was almost over.

It was a long, three hour drive every time they went to visit Grandpa Torres but Adam couldn't help but be excited every time. His grandfather was surprisingly very accepting of his gender identity, telling his mother that he always knew she was bound to have two sons. He said he had a sixth sense for that kind of thing, and judging by the warm smile he always wore, Adam was sure that he meant every word.

Mr. Torres pulled over on the curb, parking as close as he could to the sidewalk, before whistling loudly to wake up the still drowsy Drew.

"Are we finally here?" Drew asked sleepily.

"We're here." Mr. Torres nodded, stepping out of the car.

The family made their way into the nicely furnished house. Grandpa Torres lived separate from Grandma Torres, in an older house in the farther part of the forest surrounded areas. He was nuts, Mrs. Torres always insisted, but Adam and Drew admired the way he fended for himself, immersing himself in hunting and building in his little neck of the woods.

"Hey, Dad." Mrs. Torres said, grabbing Grandpa Torres in a hug as they approached the smiling man.

"Hi, baby." He grinned before turning to the boys. "Now how are my boys doing?"

"Good, gramps! I missed you." Adam smiled, grabbing his grandfather in an open embrace.

"Of course you did. Now you two little tykes come over here and help an old man finish a project."

* * *

><p>Adam heaved the axe over his shoulder and approached the mighty oak. It was devoid of branches thanks to a solid hour of stripping the tree with his brother. Long ropes tied the tree down to prevent any accidental falling of the tree towards them and Grandpa Torres was off in the back, preparing another tree with Drew. Beads of sweat were forming on his forehead already, but he wiped them with the back of his hand and rooted his feet on the ground, balancing himself before throwing his arms forward at the tree. He had a job to do.<p>

_Thunk_.._Thunk. Thunk._

The sounds of the axe hitting the tree increased in speed as he drowned his mind out and went with the sound, and before long, the tree stood shakily. Adam stood back as Drew walked over to him and gave the barely standing tree a heavy-footed kick. As it fell towards the ground, Adam passed the axe to Drew. Wiping his sweaty hands on his jeans, Adam pulled on work gloves and grabbed the fallen tree with both hands. The sound of his phone ringing caught his attention, and excusing himself, he picked up the call.

"Hello?"

"I'm so bored. Come back."

"A hello would've been nice." Grinning, Adam held the phone between his shoulder and his ear as he pulled off his work gloves.

"No. I don't _do_ nice." Bianca's voice brought a wide grin to Adam's face, and stuffing the gloves in his back pocket, Adam tried not to laugh.

"So you miss me, huh?" Adam teased.

"More like I'm bored to death without somebody to bully. Entertain me."

"Go party."

"Don't feel like it."

"Hit up your friends?"

"Hate them."

"Spend time with your aunt."

"Look, I'm bored, not suicidal." Bianca scoffed.

She was lying on her bed, staring at the spinning ceiling fan and trying to suppress the irritatingly impulsive part of her that wanted to run out to wherever Adam was. Adam's voice was light with humor and the sound of it itself alleviated some of the tension she was feeling since she woke up that morning.

"Aw, come on, spending time with family isn't bad. I love chilling back with my grandpa, even though I do miss you."

"You're the sweetest grandson a grandpa could ask for, aren't you?"

"Don't you mean the sweetest everything?" Bianca smiled, closing her eyes at the sound of Adam's soft laughter.

"Don't get full of yourself, idiot."

"Wouldn't even _dream_ of it." He laughed.

"So, you miss me, huh?"

"And I'm the one getting too full of myself?"

"Oh, you poor, misinformed boy. That's how this works, Adam. That's how our dynamic works. I insult you and you take it like a man."

"Well, that's not fair."

"Hey, I don't write the rules." Bianca shrugged, laughing again at Adam's groan.

"Ah, shit!"

Drew tripped over the loose pile of wood by the door, slamming into a table resting on the side of the cabin. A black container tumbled off the workstation, a slightly yellow but mostly clear substance spilling out of it. It spread on the cabin floor as Adam ran to his brother to help pick him up off the ground. A slightly nauseous scent filled up the small room but Adam ignored it, rushing to help his fallen brother up.

"God, I didn't see that." Drew moaned, holding his head with one hand.

"Well, obviously you didn't." Adam retorted, leading his brother out of the cabin and towards his grandfather's house. "Hey, Bianca, I promise I'll call you back later, alright? My idiot brother injured himself."

"Not surprising. I'll hold you to that promise." Bianca responded, sharing one more laugh with the younger Torres before hanging up.

"Let's get you some ice for that nasty bruise you're going to be sporting soon." Adam said, focusing his attention to his brother.

"How about that thing we spilled?" Drew asked, barely processing the walk to the house. "I should go clean it."

"Oh, I'll worry about that later. Leave it to me. Gramps is cool about that stuff so he won't mind me doing it later."

"Ouch, ouch." Drew winced, trying his best to ignore the pain radiating from his head.

Adam ran inside, letting his brother sit down on a chair outside. Running past his parents, he rushed to the freezer and pulled out a pack of ice, ignoring the curious expressions on his parents' faces and heading to his brother. Closing the screen door behind him, he tossed the ice to his brother.

"Here. That should prevent any swelling and hopefully minimize bruising." Adam said, sitting down next to Drew.

"Thanks. Don't know what I'd do without you." Drew groaned, flinching as the cold pack came in contact with his skin.

"Well, lucky for you, I'm around." Adam grinned.

"Ha. Ha." Drew suddenly turned to his brother, "So you were in the middle of a call with _Bianca_ of all people?"

"Oh, forget about that." Adam responded, scratching his head, "She's a really good friend. We're close."

"A little too close, I think." Drew grumbled, "She's not good news, dude."

"She's different, Drew. You know that I would've been the last person who would want to give her a chance after the shit she pulled, but I did, and she's really awesome. There's a lot going on in that head of hers."

"Yeah, probably evil plans to embarrass you or something." Drew sighed, "You're my brother and I care about you. I don't want that girl to ruin a good thing. She's manipulative and selfish."

"She's not manipulative and selfish! Or, at least, not anymore." Adam retorted, crossing his arms, "And who the hell are you to talk?"

"Adam, I don't want to start an argument, okay?" Drew said, readjusting the ice on his head.

"Neither do I, so get off my back about this, alright? I'll do what I think feels right." Adam mumbled.

"Fine, fine, okay. How are you and Fiona, then?" Drew smiled.

"Fiona? Oh, yeah, Fiona, yeah. She's still… pretty." Adam grinned, uncrossing his arms and leaning back, "Don't know if I like her, though."

"Oh, come on, you totally have the biggest crush on her." Drew teased.

"Yeah, yeah, say what you will." Adam laughed.

"I always say what's on my mind." Drew said, "And what's currently on my mind is how freaking hungry I am."

"Are my boys hungry?" Grandpa Torres's head poked out from inside the house.

"Holy shit, Gramps, you're a mind reader." Adam laughed.

"Perfect, because I'm starving," Grandpa Torres said, "And my hardworking boys deserve a little homestyle veal."

Grandpa Torres slid open the screen door all the way and stepped outside, stretching and pulling on his boots.

"Damn, Gramps! Getting ready to _work_!" Drew cheered.

"Where are you going?" Mrs. Torres asked, following her father outside.

"The cabin." Grandpa Torres whistled, picking up the basket of raw meat slabs. "I keep my grill there because of the abundance of bears around these parts. I'll be back with dinner! Now I'm going to assume you want your meat rare, because I'd be damned if you want it well-done, because real men know that well-done stands for well-you're-done-eating-meat-because-you-don't-appreciate-it-properly."

"Preach!" Adam hollered, laughing with his brother at his grandfather's humorous rant.

"Go set the table." Grandpa Torres grinned, "Grilling is a labor of love, you know."

The two brothers headed inside, making a beeline for the dining room. The tables were already set by Mrs. Torres, so with a shrug, they took their seats, engaging in small talk to pass the time. Thirty minutes in, Mr. Torres frowned and sniffed the air.

"Something's burning."

"Grandpa's grilling it charred?" Drew wondered aloud, frowning.

"What's that sound?" Adam asked, slightly panicked.

Drew arched his head and moved the ice, listening carefully. He could make out crackling and sizzling, almost like the fireplace in his grandfather's living room, but stronger, almost like –

"The fucking – the fucking shit we spilled!" Drew gasped, standing up from his seat at the table, "Adam, that was gasoline!"

Adam was already out the door with his parents and Drew close behind him.

"Grandpa!" Adam screamed, running towards the burning cabin. He reached the burning door, and with all his strength, he pulled at it, but the door wouldn't budge.

"Adam, no!"

He felt the heavy weight of his brother's arms slamming his chest as his brother wrapped his arms around him and pulled him away. The gray plumes of smoke that covered his vision blurred into a dark curtain that surrounded him, his hands still grasping towards the cabin. His brother was walking backwards with him in his arms, the sound of his brother's own muted gasps and the warmth of his brother's tears freezing up his mind.

"Let go! Let go, Drew! Let go! What are you doing?" Adam screamed, clawing at the arms around him.

"You can't go in there!" Drew cried, his tears hitting his brother's shoulders, "God, Adam, you can't go in there! It's gonna-"

Just then, the roof of the cabin collapsed, the flames engulfing the rest of the cabin. Sirens in the distance drew Adam into a trance, his eyes unmoving from the erratic flickering of the fire before him. His heart felt stuck in time, the flames dancing before him, teasing him, mocking him.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry, but…" The fireman shrugged, flicking his hand to point at the other firemen, "They've located the body but unfortunately, he's beyond recognition and beyond, well, living."<p>

"He's… he's passed?" Mr. Torres asked, voice trembling.

"I'm afraid so, yes. We suspect he was somehow knocked unconscious before the fire began, so at least he did not pass in pain." The fireman mentioned, trying to alleviate some of the pain radiating from the family.

"Oh my God." Mrs. Torres cried, burying her head into her husband's shoulder.

Mr. Torres embraced his wife, hands shaking as he tried to erase the thought of the burning cabin in his mind. He turned to his sons, hoping they were better off than he, but he looked away when he saw Adam on his knees, staring straight ahead at the remnants of the cabin and Drew besides him.

"Please, Adam, speak to me, please!" Drew cried, leaning into his brother.

"He…" Adam whispered, body shaking, "He's… And we… and I…"

It was surreal how in one moment, his grandfather was cracking jokes and cutting wood and in all sense of the word, _here_ and just a few moments later, _not_. It was crazy, insane even, how quickly he disappeared, how long forever sounded like knowing that visiting Gramps wasn't going to happen again, not until forever passed by. It was frightening to even consider the possibility, but with another shiver, he looked down at his hands.

They were slightly burned from him pulling at the door, an unhealthy white staining them. His brother noticed and got up, running for the firemen to get help for his brother, but he stayed in place, staring at his hands.

Guilt filtered was his vision and all he saw was his hands stained red with the blood of his grandfather.

* * *

><p>Bianca stared at the ceiling for what felt like the hundredth hour in a row. With a frown, she glanced sideways at her phone on her bedside table, willing it to ring. She felt dismayed at the lack of a call, a bit irritated that it was almost midnight without even a single text message from Adam. She didn't know why it bothered her so much; all she knew was that he promised and his not keeping it was keeping her up.<p>

She debated calling the boy and giving him a piece of his mind, but a strange feeling in her gut told her not to. Adam wasn't the type of guy to break a promise and she was certain he had a legitimate reason for not calling back. She was about to hit herself in the face; this dependence she had growing for the younger boy was beginning to irk her.

With a groan, she rolled over to her side, closing her eyes and attempting to fall asleep.

* * *

><p>"Adam, please, could we talk?"<p>

Drew sat down next to his brother, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. His brother hadn't said a word since they drove back home after the horrific evening that transpired the day before. Although he himself was shaken up about the event, Drew put on a brave face. His brother needed him and he had to stay strong for his family.

He took a glance around the room; Fiona's bedroom was simple in contrast to how fashionable she dressed. He sighed; perhaps it wasn't the best idea to come over, but Fiona, Clare, and Eli were the first to find out and they insisted on them coming over for support. He thought maybe having Adam near his closest friends would help.

"Adam, look, I know how you're feeling right now. Fuck, I feel it too. I feel like beating myself over that stupid spill. Christ, if I could go back in time…"

"I could've cleaned it." Adam murmured, eyes dazed, "It wouldn't have taken more than five minutes to clean."

"But I was hurt and you were trying to take care of me." Drew winced, his head still sore, "Please Adam, Gramps wouldn't want us to blame ourselves."

"I'd rather Grandpa blame us and be around." Adam said, staring at his hands.

"Adam…"

"Drew, why did you bring me here?"

"Come on, Adam, we needed something and-"

"Why did you bring me to a fucking pity party?"

"It's not a pity party! Adam, these are your _best friends_ we're talking about. They just want us to know that they're here for us."

"Damn it, Drew, don't you get it? Grandpa's _dead_. He's _gone._" Adam yelled, standing, "What kind of delusion are you under? He's gone! He's gone and he'd still be around if we didn't spill that gasoline – you know it and I know it. Stop fucking fooling yourself!"

"Adam, you're being irrational. Come on!"

"Get out of my room, Drew. Please." Adam's voice stilled to a whisper, "I just need some time, alright? I just… please?"

Drew sighed, nodding before stepping out of the room. The door slammed behind him and he stood still in the living room, ignoring the worried expressions on the others.

"Is Adam going to be okay?" Fiona asked, frowning at the closed door.

"He's just messed up about this whole thing." Drew sighed, collapsing on the couch.

"I wish we could help more." Clare muttered, tears staining her cheeks.

"I really don't know what to say to him." Eli agreed, stress lining his face.

"I know that despite what he says, he really appreciates you guys inviting us over." Drew said, with a sullen grin,  
>"And I think I should head home soon. I think I haven't really been giving myself time to sit down and really absorb what happened."<p>

"Adam can stay over." Fiona said with a sad smile, "I don't think he'd want to be interrupted."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Drew nodded, getting up from the couch.

"I'm heading home too." Eli sighed, "But give me a call if Adam needs me, alright? I'll be over in a heartbeat. I'll give you a ride home, Clare."

A few minutes later, Fiona's apartment was empty. Sitting alone on her couch, Fiona closed her eyes and listened to the thumps of fist hitting wall, and she hoped with all her might that Adam would be okay. She knew he was a strong boy but she was terrified at the thought of this being the final straw to break the boy's back. Drawing in a shaky breath, Fiona walked over to her room and knocked.

"Adam? This is Fiona. I'm going to come inside, alright?"

With a baited breath, she waited for a response, but none came. The thumping came to a stop and taking that as permission to enter, she nudged the door open and stepped inside. The younger boy was kneeling in front of a wall, hands dropped to his side and head resting against the wall. Rushing next to him, she examined the boy's hands, wincing when she saw how bruised they would be in the morning.

"Sorry about the wall." Adam whispered.

Glancing up, she noticed a few bumps along the wall but she brushed it off, instead hurrying to help him to his feet and to the bed.

"Don't even worry about that, Adam." Fiona replied, setting him up against the headboard of the bed.

She frowned, fingers nervously running across his swollen knuckles. The look on her crush's face was disheartening, a mixture of immense depression and guilt, and she could not help but feel empathetic. She remembered a time when she felt so incredibly lost and powerless, and she could only imagine how badly he hurt inside.

Her mind ran into overdrive as she struggled to think of a way to make him feel better. There was an idea brewing in the back of her mind, and something in her told her not to, but she was sure it would work for him. It worked for her. Why wouldn't it work for him?

Rushing out the bedroom and into the kitchen, she grabbed a handle of vodka and two cups. Returning to the room, she poured the vodka into the cups, making sure not to spill, before handing him one.

"This might help." She whispered, encouraging him.

"Alcohol?" He asked, looking up at her with a dead expression.

"It… it helps me." Fiona admitted, staring down into her own cup, "I don't like seeing you like this."

His eyes lowered as he debated in his head, the same, sullen look stuck on his face. He grimaced as another wave of anxiety bubbled in the bottom of his stomach, and before he could think any further, he raised the cup and took a swig. Sputtering at the sting, he coughed until the cold throb faded.

"I don't feel any better." He muttered, turning to Fiona.

"You will." She said, carefully taking a sip of her own cup.

He took another long gulp of the alcohol, shutting his eyes and forcing it down.

"God, that… that stings."

"It does." Fiona agreed, pulling out the handle and pouring him another cup.

Fiona hesitated while screwing the top back on the vodka. Adam was frowning at the vodka, the expression on his face unchanged. Was this a bad idea? All she wanted was to make him happy again. She was afraid the broken look on the boy she adored would become permanent.

"Adam, maybe this was a stupid idea." Fiona sighed, feeling the buzz from the vodka hit her, "I have a lot of stupid ideas. I'm sorry."

"Don't… don't be." Adam slurred.

The corners of his lips turned up into a small smile and she felt a smile of her own coming on.

"I feel a… a… a bit b- better." He continued slurring, taking another sip of his drink.

"That's all that matters." Fiona said with a small slur, putting down her cup and wrapping her arms around him, "I just want you to feel better."

"Yeah… I think I'm…" Adam replied, sinking into Fiona's warm embrace.

"You think you're what?" Fiona asked, releasing the boy and watching as he faced her with a small grin.

"Good."

He smiled for her, his teeth showing and his eyes creasing. Despite how he slightly teetered from side to side, Fiona's entire attention was focused on him. His nose was crinkled in that cute way she liked so much and she wanted physical contact but his hands, burned from the fire and bruised from the wall, were far too damaged to touch. She was too buzzed from the vodka to think twice as her hands shot up, holding his cheeks.

Leaning forward, she captured his lips in hers, an excited tingle running down her body. He stayed stock still, confused at first, but reciprocated the action in a drunken haze. With his weight on her, she leaned back, the boy tumbling down after her. He landed above her, their lips locked and tongues fighting a battle for dominance. This felt like a dream; the boy she wanted so much was on her, his arms holding him above her as he hungrily took her by the mouth.

"Be my boyfriend." She breathed, breaking the kiss and resting her forehead against his.

"Yeah." He replied in a haze, his eyes half-lidded and his arms shaking.

With another gasp, she grabbed him and pulled him down, capturing him in another kiss. Everything felt surreal. Everything felt like the romantic movies she loved so much, where the boy and the girl finally fall for each other. Everything felt so real that she forgot it wasn't.

It was only in the morning when the vodka handle rolled off the bed and made itself known that she remembered they were drinking.


End file.
